Opinion ID: 2353423
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: failure to find adultery

Text: The defendant claims that the court erred in failing to find the plaintiff guilty of adultery. Since the defendant is not seeking to have the dissolution decree vacated, presumably it is the defendant's position that, were the court to find that the cause of the dissolution was the plaintiff's adultery, that finding would impact on the financial awards. We need not consider that question, however; see Posada v. Posada, 179 Conn. 568, 572-73, 427 A.2d 406 (1980); unless the defendant was entitled to a finding of adultery as a matter of law. Adultery as a ground for dissolution under General Statutes § 46b-40 requires proof that the other spouse has engaged in extramarital sexual relations. Brodsky v. Brodsky, 153 Conn. 299, 300, 216 A.2d 180 (1966). Although, because of their clandestine nature, adulterous acts are usually proved by circumstantial evidence; Zeiner v. Zeiner, 120 Conn. 161,165,179 A. 644 (1935); the circumstances must be such as to lead the guarded discretion of a reasonable and just person to the conclusion of guilt. Brodsky v. Brodsky, supra, 301; Zeiner v. Zeiner, supra; Neff v. Neff, 96 Conn. 273, 275, 114 A. 126 (1921). The adulterous relationship must be established by a fair preponderance of the evidence. Brodsky v. Brodsky, supra, 301. [I]n weighing the evidence of adultery, the court should exercise great care to see that it is not imposed upon through the intense interest of the parties to color the facts; it should not see evil where the circumstances may reasonably lend themselves to an innocent interpretation, nor, on the other hand, should it refuse to reach that conclusion which the sound and unprejudiced judgment should lead to. Neff v. Neff, supra, 276. Adultery will not be inferred from circumstantial evidence unless there is both an opportunity and an adulterous disposition. Eberhard v. Eberhard, 4 N.J. 535, 73 A.2d 554 (1950); 24 Am. Jur.2d, Divorce and Separation § 393; Clark, Domestic Relations § 12.3, p. 330. Moreover, the existence of both the opportunity and the inclination without more does not necessarily compel a conclusion that adultery has occurred. See Antonata v. Antonata, 85 Conn. 390, 393, 82 A. 967 (1912). In a supplemental memorandum of decision the trial referee found that the defendant had failed to satisfy his burden of establishing his allegation of adultery. Although there was testimony which might have supported a different finding, the trial court was not bound to accept as persuasive even testimony that was not directly contradicted. Johnson v. Healy, 176 Conn. 97, 103, 405 A.2d 54 (1978).