cover of episode A lawsuit for your broken heart

A lawsuit for your broken heart

2024/2/9
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吉尔·哈兹:心碎抚慰金诉讼并非关注浪漫层面的情感破裂,而是将婚姻视为重要的经济契约。婚姻涉及财产、共同资产等,其解体造成巨大的经济损失。诉讼源于17世纪的英国普通法,最初用于补偿女性因婚姻破裂遭受的经济损失。它承认当时女性面临的巨大社会和经济压力,以及婚姻对她们经济安全的关键作用。违背婚约对女性造成的巨大伤害,包括经济上的损失和生活上的改变。诉讼的过时之处在于其将女性视为财产,并基于过时的婚姻观。 “感情疏远”是心碎抚慰金诉讼的一种类型,指控他人干涉婚姻。 如今,北卡罗来纳州的感情疏远诉讼更多的是为了寻求情感上的认可,而非经济补偿。我对感情疏远诉讼持复杂态度,一方面承认存在不当行为造成严重情感伤害,另一方面也指出其可能否认配偶的自主性。 Erika Beras 和 Sarah Gonzalez:20世纪20年代,随着女性地位的提升和婚姻观的改变,心碎抚慰金诉讼受到批评,被指责为女性“淘金”。如今,北卡罗来纳州是唯一一个仍然经常提起心碎抚慰金诉讼的州。北卡罗来纳州心碎抚慰金诉讼多发的原因之一是该州有律师专门处理此类案件。如今,北卡罗来纳州的感情疏远诉讼更多的是为了寻求情感上的认可,而非经济补偿。 Keith King:我起诉第三者,是因为他破坏了我的家庭,夺走了我最珍视的东西。这场诉讼的目的是为了寻求经济赔偿,弥补婚姻破裂带来的损失,包括业务损失、医疗费用和心理治疗费用等。尽管最终没有获得经济赔偿,但我认为这场诉讼是值得的,因为它让我有机会表达我的愤怒和痛苦,并让被告为他的行为负责。 罗伯塔·韦斯特·尼科尔森:反对心碎抚慰金诉讼,认为只有不检点的女性才会提起此类诉讼。

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The episode introduces heart balm torts, lawsuits against individuals who interfere in a marriage. It questions the existence of such lawsuits and their origins.
  • Heart balm torts allow suing for emotional damages caused by interference in a marriage
  • These lawsuits have ancient roots in English common law
  • Their existence varies by state, with North Carolina being a notable exception

Shownotes Transcript

Keith King was upset when his marriage ended. His wife had cheated, and his family broke apart. And that's when he learned about a very old type of lawsuit, called a heart balm tort. A lawsuit that would let him sue the man his now ex-wife had gotten involved with during their marriage.On this episode, where heart balm torts came from, what relationships looked like back then, and why these lawsuits still exist today (in some states, anyway.) And also, what happened when Keith King used a heart balm tort to try to deal with the most significant economic entanglement of his life: his marriage.*This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Molly Messick. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Gilly Moon. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts) or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney). *Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)