Meet the Officers | Outlines | T-Shirts | Photos | Upcoming Events | By-Laws
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Stealing someone's heart can cost you: Just ask German Blinov.
A Cook County jury ordered 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 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 men and women -- including Blinov -- to spice up their relationship.
She supposedly began having feelings for 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."
Blinov doesn't deny having a relationship with Natalie Friedman while she was married, but he was surprised to learn he could be sued for it. His attorney also said Natalie Friedman was unhappy with her marriage before the relationship started.
"German was not a pirate of her affections," attorney Enrico Mirabelli said. "Her affections were already adrift." E-mail to a friend
BRANFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- A woman who claimed she was unaware that her husband was growing pot in the basement will get to keep her half of their house, while the government can seize her husband's share, a federal appeals court has ruled.
The 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said in a ruling Wednesday that Harold Von Hofe must forfeit his interest in the home to the federal government. However, his wife, Kathleen, does not have to because she wasn't actively involved in her husband's marijuana cultivation.
"The record is devoid of any evidence indicating her use of drugs or her involvement in any criminal activity whatsoever," the appeals court wrote.
Von Hofe, who was a teacher at Branford High School, and his wife were charged in 2001 after police raided their home and found 65 marijuana plants, glass smoking pipes and other items associated with growing marijuana.
Harold Von Hofe pleaded guilty to manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance while Kathleen Von Hofe pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance. Both avoided prison time and received probation.
The Von Hofes' attorney, Jonathan J. Einhorn, said Kathleen Von Hofe could get a mortgage for the government's half-interest in her home.
As of Wednesday, the couple remained in the house, valued at $248,000.
¶ 8/28/2007 09:52:00 PM
