Attention all dudes who are having an affair with a married woman: BE CAREFUL! Not only do you run the risk of someone wanting the beat the crap out of you, but you also could have your financial life ruined by being sued. Case in point: this crazy court ruling from North Carolina where a judge ruled that a side dude had to pay the jilted husband $8.8 MILLION because of an archaic, little-known law.
Keith King sued his wife’s lover for destroying their “happy” marriage. King married his wife Danielle Swords in 2010 and had a child together.
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In 2015, King found flirtatious texts between his wife and Francisco Huizar III. Eventually, the infidelity ruined the marriage and Swords rented an apartment in January 2017, Huizar’s name was on the lease. King went to the apartment, thinking his wife was living alone, and Huizar answered the door. Swords captured video of her side man putting her husband in a chokehold. King pressed assault and battery charges against Huizar after the fight.
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King presented evidence of Swords and Huizar going to a spa together, staying at nearby hotels on trips, call logs, and social media interactions over the course of the 16-month affair to the court.
King’s attorney, Joanne Foil, said in court that the infidelity not only ended their marriage, but cost King an employee since she worked at his King BMX Stunt Shows company as well as cost the business revenue.
In the civil complaint filed in April 2017, King sued Huizar for criminal conversation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, assault and battery, and alienation of affection, which is a civil tort that is has been done away with in most places.
Alienation of affection or “homewrecker” lawsuits are still only practiced in six states: Hawaii, North Carolina, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. With the “broken-heart” tort, third parties can be held accountable for the failure of a happy marriage and thus can be sued.
In Huizar’s case, they can be sued for a ton of money. The judge ruled in King’s favor and said that Huizar has to pay the husband $8.8 million for wrecking the marriage. King was awarded about $2.2 million in compensatory or tangible damages and the remainder of the $8.8 million was punitive damages. Huizar will appeal the decision.
Who’s to say that a husband and wife who are headed to divorce might dubiously devise plans to set up some poor schmuck for a huge payday? Scary stuff.
So now you know that you can get in serious trouble for adultery besides an angry husband. Be careful out there bros.