Alienation of Affection: When Cheating Becomes a Lawsuit | Lawyers Without Billboards - Ep 43

In this episode of Lawyers Without Billboards, Steve, Patty, Jimmy, and Alexa kick off a new series on national cases of note with a deceptively simple question:Can you sue the person your spouse cheated with?The answer depends entirely on where you live.The team breaks down the rarely used - but very real - tort of alienation of affection, a law that still exists in only a handful of states and has produced some eye-popping jury verdicts.They unpack:What alienation of affection actually is and where it still appliesThe recent North Carolina case involving a social media influencer and a $1.75 million verdictWhy Georgia (and most states) abolished this claim decades agoWhether it makes sense to blame the third party instead of the cheating spouseHow damages are calculated - including the role of social media and monetizationWhy judges generally hate this cause of actionAlong the way, the episode delivers the usual Lawyers Without Billboards mix of legal insight, history, sarcasm, and brutal honesty.If you’re curious how an affair can turn into a full-blown lawsuit - or why most states decided this law should die - this episode explains it all.👇 CHAPTERS 👇 00:00 – Intro: Lawyers Without Billboards 00:45 – New series: National cases of note 01:25 – Pop quiz: “If you’re defending, you’re spending” 03:00 – Can you sue the person your spouse cheated with? 04:00 – What is alienation of affection? 05:00 – Which states still allow these lawsuits 06:15 – Is alienation of affection old law or new trend? 07:10 – The North Carolina influencer case explained 10:45 – What must be proven to win an alienation claim 12:30 – The $1.75 million verdict and damage breakdown 14:45 – Should the third party really be blamed? 16:30 – Why most states abolished alienation of affection 18:15 – Massive verdicts and jury behavior 19:45 – Final takeaways and lessons learned ?🎙️ Hosts:Steve & Patty Shewmaker, Jimmy & Alexa LewisShewmaker & Lewis – Atlanta, GA🔔 Subscribe for real talk about law, courts, and culture.🎧 Listen or WatchWatch on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uEv-U-ZbT64 or listen on your favorite podcast platform – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.📩 Contact: [email protected]🌐 Website: https://www.shewmakerandlewis.com🎧 Podcast Library: https://shewmakerandlewis.com/lawyers-without-billboards📺 Subscribe for new episodes and candid conversations about family law, custody, mediation, and conflict resolution.🎼 Music by Ben Hernandez at Dragonsong Productions 🎥 Produced by: Bleeding Edge, Inc.🎬 Audio & Video Production: Rob Burgner📍 Recorded at: Shewmaker & Lewis, Atlanta, GA