Complaint Form Civil Template

To prove a claim for alienation of affection, the jilted spouse must prove that, prior to the commencement of the affair, he or she had a loving marriage, that the loving marriage was diminished or destroyed by the paramour's conduct, and that it was that wrongful conduct that led to the diminishment of the marital

The law allows individuals to sue others for ruining their marriages. While most states got rid of it years ago, it's still on the books in Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.The law has since evolved, such that women can now sue.

This is a very common question, but a pretty uncommon scenario. Depending on where you live, you may be able to file suit against the other woman (or man) through one of two types of civil tort claims criminal conversation or alienation of affection.

This common law tort is abolished in several jurisdictions. In fact, only a few states in the United States still allow alienation of affection lawsuits. These states include Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah.

Alienation of affection and criminal conversation are civil tort claims that can entitle an aggrieved spouse to recover monetary damages from the third-party. The aggrieved spouse's lawsuit must allege specific damages, such as emotional distress, loss of income, and/or loss of consortium (conjugal relations).

A lawsuit for alienation of affection or criminal conversation must be brought no later than three years from the last act of the paramour giving rise to these claims. For a criminal conversation claim, that means no later than three years from the last time the paramour and the cheating spouse had sexual intercourse.

You can defeat an alienation of affection lawsuit by showing your action was innocent or that you weren't the reason the marriage broke down. In addition, there are other defenses which you might have, including the following: The plaintiff consented to the conduct.

To file your complaint and initiate your lawsuit, you generally have to pay filing fees, typically around $200. If you cannot afford the filing fees, you can ask the clerk for an application to have them waived.