Kevin Howard's wife, of 12 years, left him for a co-worker, who also happened to be a friend of theirs, and he was NOT having it.
When Kevin got suspicious after his wife asked for a separation out of the blue, he hired a private investigator to find out if his wife was cheating and sure enough... he was right.
Kevin's lawyers exploited an 'Alienation of affections' (AKA Home Wrecker) law; an old English law that only exists in 7 U.S. states (South Dakota, Utah, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, and North Carolina) describes that a wife was 'property' of the husband. There were legal nuptial responsibilities of marriage and Kevin felt that they were compromised. Someone had interfered with their marriage and thus, the law was broken.
North Carolina seemed to agree because 12 jurors sided with Howard and the judge awarded him a $750,000 payout! The homewrecker was found guilty and was forced to pay up.
North Carolina seems to be an interesting place for marriages (below).
Father and Daughter Charged with Incest After Having Baby Together
By Jimmy Nguyen