EDITORIAL NEWS DESK
Spotlight Cases
The divorces that made headlines, changed the law, or both.
- All
- United States
- Landmark Rulings
- Money Matters
- Only in Court
- Divorces
The $8.8 Million Heartbreak
In most states, heartbreak is a private matter. In North Carolina, you can sue over it.
Story: North Carolina still recognizes two old claims: alienation of affection and criminal conversation. Together, they let a spouse sue a third party for breaking up a marriage. In 2019, Kevin King won an $8.8 million judgment against his wife’s lover, Francisco Huizar III (WRAL). Locals call it the “homewrecker law” (The 9th Street Journal).
Why it matters: Only a handful of states still allow these lawsuits. So in North Carolina, having an affair can carry a price that no other state would charge.
The $600 Million Secret: A Texas Divorce
Texas courtrooms are supposed to be open. Jay Sears has kept his hidden for over four years.
What the court records show
Sealed file: The divorce was filed in Waller County. The February 2021 agreed order sealed every document in the case, except those the law requires to be recorded.Source: law.justia
NewQuest interest: The court describes Sears as a NewQuest co-founder and says the couple owned a shared marital interest in the company. A jury trial had been set for July 28, 2025.
Married Against Her Will
She wanted a divorce. The law made her stay married anyway.
Story: Tini Owens married in 1978 and, decades later, asked for a divorce. Her husband contested it. In 2018, the UK Supreme Court unanimously upheld the refusal to grant her a divorce. Under the law at the time, her complaints about the marriage weren’t enough, even though she described it as loveless.
Why it matters: The case became a rallying point for reform, and England and Wales later moved to no-fault divorce (READ: Owens v Owens overview).
Broken Means Broken
What if one spouse says “we’re done” and the other says “no we’re not”?
Story: In Shilpa Sailesh v. Varun Sreenivasan (2023), a five-judge Constitution Bench of India’s Supreme Court held that it can use its special powers under Article 142 to dissolve a marriage that has irretrievably broken down. It can do so even without one spouse’s consent, and it can waive the usual six-month cooling-off period for mutual-consent divorce.
Why it matters: Couples trapped in marriages that are over in everything but name now have a path out, though only through the country’s highest court.