What is the cost of love? For a North Carolina man, $750,000.
That's the amount a judge awarded Kevin Howard in an alienation of affection case against a man who stole his wife away from him, WITN reported.
"She had originally told me that she wanted a divorce because I work too much, wasn't around to be there and I worked too much. I talked about that as part of my mistake in the situation, but it was like a punch in the gut because I thought I had this trust for 12 years and love," Howard told WITN. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to face, it was like someone calling you and telling you that a family member had tragically died."
Alienation of affection laws exist in six states including North Carolina, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Dakota and Utah.
Howard likely won't see any of the judgment money. When a defendant can't pay, the amount turns into debt owed and appears on credit reports, WITN reported.
But it wasn’t all about money.
"I filed the case because I feel that it's very important that people understand that the sanctity of marriage is important especially in this day and age, when people question everyone's morals, people question everyone's liability of a person, and the state backed me up on it," Howard told WITN.
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