Legal Definitions - connivance

Connivance is a legal defense used in divorce cases where one spouse is accused of adultery or other sexual misconduct. The defense argues that the other spouse consented to the behavior.

For example, if a husband arranges for his wife to have an affair and then uses that as grounds for divorce, the wife could use connivance as a defense.

The defense is based on the idea that a person cannot claim to be injured by an act they consented to. The consent can be either expressed or implied, but it must be corrupt.

However, if a spouse merely knows of the other's adultery but is unable to stop it, or they know of the adultery and let it continue to obtain proof for the divorce, there is usually no connivance.

Connivance can also refer to when a person ignores another person's wrongful act or implicitly consents to its commission in bad faith.

Overall, connivance is a defense used in divorce cases where one spouse is accused of sexual misconduct and argues that the other spouse consented to the behavior.