Legal Definitions - alienation of affections

Alienation of affections is a legal term that refers to a situation where one person is held responsible for causing the end of a marriage by interfering with the affectionate relationship between the spouses. This law is mostly outdated and is not recognized in most states. However, some states still allow a spouse to sue an individual for alienation of affections.

For example, if a person encourages someone to cheat on their spouse, and as a result, the marriage ends, the other spouse can sue the person for alienation of affections. Similarly, if someone encourages a person to divorce their spouse, and the marriage ends, the other spouse can sue the person for alienation of affections.

It is important to note that the spouse bringing an alienation of affections suit must show that the accused individual took steps that a reasonable person would expect and did result in the ending of the affectionate marriage between the couple. In some cases, million-dollar damages have been awarded to the plaintiff in states that still recognize this cause of action.