At one point during his presidential campaign, John Edwards reportedly lashed out at one of his aides, Josh Brumberger, for 1) failing to quiet rumors of his affair with Rielle Hunter, and 2) for letting him have the affair in the first place. “Why didn’t you come to me like a fucking man and tell me to stop fucking her?” he screamed, according to the book Game Change. Since then, Edwards has publicly stated that his affair with Hunter was “a mistake that I am responsible for and no one else. ” But apparently, his ex-wife doesn’t quite agree, because she’s now reportedly suing his other aide, Andrew Young, alleging that his role in covering up his the affair “was partly responsible for the failure of the Edwards’ marriage.”
The charge is “alienation of affection,” an archaic law under which a cuckolded or otherwise abandoned spouse can sue a third party — usually the adulterous spouse’s lover — for causing injury to the marriage. Fortuitously for the ex–Mrs Edwards, North Carolina, where she lives, is one of just a handful of states in which “alienation of affection” is still recognized, and of those, one of the only states in which large settlements have recently been awarded to plaintiffs. Andrew Young is apparently hoping he will not be joining them.
If it doesn’t work out, she can always try suing Satan.
Elizabeth Edwards Threatens Husband’s Ex-Aide With Lawsuit [ABC News]
Earlier: Heilemann and Halperin: Who Is Andrew Young?
Related: Saint Elizabeth and the Ego Monster [NYM]
