Opinion ID: 1895485
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether there was a causal connection between winston's conduct and wife's loss of affection for husband

Text: The elements necessary to sustain a claim for alienation of affections are: (1) wrongful conduct of the defendant; (2) loss of affection or consortium; and (3) a causal connection between such conduct and loss. Hunt, 309 N.W.2d at 820. The gist of the action is the malicious interference with the marriage relationship. Monen v. Monen, 64 S.D. 581, 584, 269 N.W. 85, 87 (1936). The loss of consortium is the actionable consequence of an action for alienation. Holmstrom v. Wall, 64 S.D. 467, 268 N.W. 423 (1936). Consortium is a right growing out of the marital relationship. This term includes the right of either spouse to the society, companionship, conjugal affections, and assistance of the other. Morey v. Keller, 77 S.D. 49, 51, 85 N.W.2d 57, 58 (1957). A loss or impairment of any such elements will sustain an action for alienation of affections. Id. However, if it appears there was no affection to alienate, recovery is precluded. Trainor v. Deters, 22 Ohio App.2d 135, 259 N.E.2d 131, 134 (1969). We review the facts with these elements in mind. Throughout her deposition [4] testimony, Elke maintained that she had lost her love and affection for her husband many years before her involvement with Winston. [5] She stated that problems in her marriage were evident from the beginning; that Duane was a workaholic and a very possessive, jealous, and domineering person who would not let her be her own person. She further stated that they strongly disagreed about religion and the manner in which Duane disciplined the children. [6] Pertaining to their friendship and sexual relationship, [7] the evidence shows that Elke initiated contact with Winston. She sought out his companyElke talked about her problems, Winston listened. The first time they were intimate, it was Elke who invited Winston up to her room. She sent him cards and gifts upon occasion; he did not reciprocate. They were not in love; Winston did not promise her any future relationship, nor did she make any such promises to him. Indeed, Elke was seeing another man at the time of trial. The record demonstrates that Elke instigated and then voluntarily participated in the affair which ultimately developed with Winston. [8] It is undisputed that they had sexual relations. However, this fact is not sufficient to sustain an alienation suit where there is no evidence that Winston's actions caused Elke to separate from her husband. [9] On the contrary, the evidence shows that Elke's affections for Duane were alienated long before her involvement with Winston. [10] The trial court found that by continuing the affair with Elke, Winston frustrated Duane's efforts to reconcile with her. However, the evidence shows that Duane elicited Winston's advice and further involved him in the Pankratz's marital problems. Duane often contacted Winston to question him about Elke's activities in Sioux Falls, apart from any involvement she had with Winston at the time. Winston claimed that Duane admitted in February of 1984 that the Pankratz marriage had been in trouble for a long time and that Elke had had a number of affairs. Duane claimed only one other. At this meeting, Winston encouraged Duane to seek professional marriage counseling and promised him that he would refrain from having sexual relations with Elke. At trial, Winston admitted that he had relations with her again about two months after this meeting. Winston apparently did little or nothing to prevent their continuing sexual relationship, despite Duane's repeated requests. Even assuming that Winston's actions encouraged Elke to continue the friendship, the record shows that by this time, Elke held no affection for Duane for Winston to alienate. See: Trainor: 259 N.E.2d at 134. Duane's testimony upon every aspect of the Pankratz marriage, as well as every incident related to this lawsuit, was diametrically opposed to that of his wife. We recognize that deference is due the trial court's assessment of Duane's credibility. SDCL 15-6-52(a); Wiggins v. Shewmake, 374 N.W.2d 111, 114 (S.D.1985). However, a fair reading of the record indicates that in Duane's quest to portray himself as a model husband and the Pankratz marriage as one of wedded bliss, much of his testimony rings hollow. Since Elke did not personally appear before the trial court, we have reviewed her testimony as though presented here in the first instance. Consequently, the clearly erroneous rule of SDCL 15-6-52(a) does not apply. Elke's testimony is not burdened with the presumption in favor of the trial court's determination. Geo. A. Clark & Son, Inc. v. Nold, 85 S.D. 468, 474, 185 N.W.2d 677, 680 (1971). We have viewed it and are satisfied that Winston's claim has ample evidentiary support. Even more important, and as noted in the Restatement Comments, [11] Winston's conduct must have been calculated from the outset to cause Elke's loss of affections for Duane. The acts must have been done for the very purpose of accomplishing this result. It is not enough that Winston should have known that continuing the affair might contribute to the diminution of Elke's affections, where her affections for Duane were alienated before she initiated the relationship with Winston. The record falls short of affirmative conduct by Winston which in fact played a substantial part in inducing the loss. In Pedersen v. Jirsa, 267 Minn. 48, 125 N.W.2d 38 (1963), [12] the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed a finding that defendant was responsible for alienating the affections of plaintiff's wife. The court wrote: A wife conceivably may transfer her affections from her husband to another because of the latter's kindliness, attractiveness, desirability, financial superiority, or some other reason. Such motivation for transfer of affections may be a substantial factor even though the defendant had nothing to do with it. The gravamen of an action for alienation of affections is enticement. It is based on an intentional tort, not negligence. The acts which lead to the loss of affection must be wrongful and intentional, calculated to entice the affections of one spouse away from the other.... The mere fact that a wife may become infatuated with a person other than her husband gives no rise for a cause of action for alienation of affections, in the absence of a showing that the other person intentionally and wrongfully caused the husband to lose his wife's affections. (emphasis added) Id. at 43. In Pedersen, reversal was predicated upon the fact that the jury found the defendant liable even though he was simply a good friend whose company the wife came to prefer to that of her husband. Id. Following the Pedersen rationale, there is no evidence here to suggest that Winston enticed Elke's affections away from her husband. Elke was a mature woman with children, alienated and separated from her husband, who chose to engage in sexual activity with someone other than her spouse. An affirmance of the trial court would serve to absolve Elke from responsibility for her actions in relation to her husband and Winston. This we cannot do. Simply stated, the evidence fails to support an action for alienation of affections because there was no causal connection between Winston's conduct and Elke's loss of affection for her husband. Accordingly, the judgment is reversed. WUEST, C.J., and FOSHEIM, Retired Justice, concur. HENDERSON, J., concurs specially. MORGAN, J., concurs in part and dissents in part. MILLER, J., not having been a member of the Court at the time this action was submitted to the Court, did not participate.