Woman Ordered to Pay $9 Million for Cheating

A case out of North Carolina recently made headlines when a woman sued another woman for breaking up her marriage, and won $9 million.

Cynthia Shackelford sued Anne Lundquist of New York under a law known as "alienation of affection." Although some might call this law ridiculous and antiquated, Shackelford used this law to try and make a point--for anyone considering getting involved in an intimate relationship with a married man or woman, DON'T. And if the $9 million the jury ordered Lundquist to pay to Shackelford isn't enough to change people's intentions about having an affair, who knows what will.

Shackelford filed her lawsuit against Lundquist after she discovered Lundquist was having an extra-marital affair with her husband. Shackelford's husband Allan maintains that Lundquist is the not the cause of their divorce, and that two years before the affair began Cynthia was talking about filing for divorce.

But Cynthia insists that she was blindsided by the affair, and that she never had intentions to leave her husband. She also blames Lundquist for the divorce, saying that she intentionally came between her and her husband, and alienated her husband from her by using "luring ways."

The jury ultimately sided with Shackelford, ordering Lundquist to pay $5 million in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages.

If your spouse was involved in an extramarital affair and you are now interested in filing for divorce, it's important to hire a divorce attorney separate from that of your spouse to ensure your rights and best interests will be whole-heartedly protected. If you need help finding a lawyer or law firm to handle your divorce, click here to search for a family law attorney in your state!