Saturday, July 26, 2008

Jilted Woman Wins $100,000 Lawsuit

While watching the Today Show the other morning, there was a news story about a woman who sued her ex-fiance after he broke off their engagement. The jury heard the evidence and she was awarded $100,000.00. I cannot find the story anywhere on the Internet, so if one of my readers finds any online article about this case, please post the link here. I'm not sure what the basis of the lawsuit was, but I'm sure that it had something to do with broken contracts. The woman claimed that she left a good paying job and moved to where her fiance was based upon her belief that they would be getting married. I am sure that the decision will be appealed and we may hear more about this. What concerns me is whether a decision like this could possible affect divorce law in states that are no fault. If you allow someone to be sued for a broken engagement, there is an assumption that someone is at fault and should be monetarily punished for that fault. In no fault states, fault almost never comes into play when you are dividing assets or awarding alimony. I'm sure we'll hear more about this case in the future, but it is interesting that a jury would award someone money damages for a broken engagement.