Citing Obscure Law, Illinois Man Sues Over Lost Love
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
CHICAGO — Stealing someone’s heart can cost you: Just ask German Blinov. A Cook County jury ordered Mr. Blinov to shell out $4,802 last week after he was sued by a husband from a Chicago suburb for stealing the affections of the man’s wife.
Arthur Friedman used a little-known state law to mount the legal attack against Mr. Blinov. The alienation of affection law, one of eight across the country, lets spouses seek damages for the loss of love. But Natalie Friedman, the woman at the center of it all, claims her husband asked her to have sex with other women and men — including Mr. Blinov — to spice up their relationship. She supposedly began having feelings for Mr. Blinov, prompting her husband to file the lawsuit.
“This guy ruined my life — he backstabbed me,” Arthur Friedman told the Chicago Sun-Times. “What he did was wrong. And I did what I had to do to get my point across.”
