NC alienation of affection law gets tougher

RALEIGH -- The opportunity to sue over alienation of affection in North Carolina is narrower. The Winston-Salem Journal reported that a state law that went into effect last week limits the circumstances in which a spouse's extramarital lover can be sued. Under the new law, any extramarital affair that occurs while a couple is separated is no longer grounds for a lawsuit. North Carolina is one of only a few states that still recognize lawsuits on the basis of alienation of affection. An average of about 230 such lawsuits were filed annually between 2000 and 2008. The law allows a spouse to ask for monetary damages from a third party on the basis that the third party contributed to ending a couple's marriage. "Alienation of affection" almost (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)