Keith King was upset when his marriage ended. His wife had cheated, and his family broke apart. And that's when he learned about a very old type of lawsuit, called a heart balm tort. A lawsuit that would let him sue the man his now ex-wife had gotten involved with during their marriage.

On this episode, where heart balm torts came from, what relationships looked like back then, and why these lawsuits still exist today (in some states, anyway.) And also, what happened when Keith King used a heart balm tort to try to deal with the most significant economic entanglement of his life: his marriage.

This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Molly Messick. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Gilly Moon. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Toronto, ON – When one atom first meets another, the precise nature of that interaction can determine much about what kinds of physical properties and behaviours will emerge. In a paper published today in Nature Physics, a team led by U of T physicist Joseph Thywissen reported their discovery of a new set of rules […]

Legal expert’s review will help make Ontario accessible by 2025TORONTO, ON — Ontario has appointed Mayo Moran, Dean and James Marshall Tory Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, to lead a review of the province’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Since the AODA became law in 2005, Ontario […]

Writers and human rights experts call on India to repeal laws that threaten free expression in world’s largest democracyToronto, ON – Earlier this year, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs used an extensive arsenal of vague and overbroad laws to muzzle the world’s largest environmental watchdog, Greenpeace International.  Using seemingly innocuous provisions in the Indian Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act […]

Despite conservative efforts to criminalize medication abortion using the 1873 Comstock Act, organizers continue to expand access to this necessary health care.

The Restoration Association of Florida filed a lawsuit to prevent a new insurance law that the group claims violates the single-subject rule of the Florida Constitution, while also infringing on the rights of homeowners and roofing contractors who perform work under valid assignment of benefits contracts.

Florida Association sees lawsuit dismissed, ABC wins in court, and IICRC is included in legislation.

Professor Pearlie Koh and Professor Tan Hwee Hoon The law on Directors’ duties is an important part of corporate governance. It is therefore unsurprising that a large part of existing research focuses on understanding what the law requires and how it applies in different situations. Such research is however largely reactive. Taking a fresh perspective, SMU Associate Professor of Law Pearlie Koh and SMU Assoc Prof of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Tan Hwee Hoon collaborated in a multi-disciplinary research which examined how company directors in Singapore understand the law as it applies to them, the gaps in awareness, and whether the laws and regulations work as envisaged. In this podcast, they discussed the details of this study, which is expected to form a valuable basis for further research in the future.

Babitha George, a representative from Tetra Pak, delves into the topic of driving progress toward a sustainable future by introducing innovative designs for straws and caps.

Washington, D.C. -- NAB Show launched a new awards program in 2023 to recognize individuals, companies and products/services for outstanding innovations in media technology that promote conservation and reusability of natural resources and foster economic and social development. The NAB Show Excellence in Sustainability Awards will be presented during a special ceremony on the Main Stage at NAB Show on April 16, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. in Las Vegas. Prior to the awards ceremony, and open to all show attendees, the “Why Sustainability In Media Matters” panel will feature a discussion among industry leaders on sustainability in media today, and what it means for the future.

dklaughman has added a photo to the pool:

Town Crier reads the Election Results at Return Day in Georgetown, Delaware.

Town Crier article:
www.coasttv.com/news/the-history-of-the-town-crier-on-ret...

More info about Return Day at this website: www.returnday.com/

Universal Orlando and a company that helped make its “Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon” ride have settled a lawsuit.

Beleaguered game publisher Ubisoft is now facing backlash from players, who are seeking to attain a class action lawsuit against the company after it shut down the online multiplayer racing game The Crew. This lawsuit comes on top of struggles Ubisoft has seen with its recent game releases, with the flagship Star Wars Outlaws’ disappointing

Hello! My name is Miles Karabas. I would like to tell you about my new course, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator, that just got released. The primary objective of this course is to teach the core components and services, and the basic concepts of AWS platform, and prepare you for the Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate level [...]

The judge ruled in favour of OpenAI stating that the outlets were unable to prove 'concrete injury'.

Read more: News outlets lose copyright lawsuit against OpenAI

The plaintiff initially filed the complaint in March, after she became a victim to gift card fraud.

Read more: US judge dismisses gift card lawsuit against Google

The CEO of Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, had faced accusations that he had ignored and downplayed internal concerns raised about young users.

Read more: Zuckerberg not liable in social media harm lawsuits, judge rules

The original Cougar Paws became the only boots I wear while roofing or conducting elevated training exercises.

Hundreds of roofing contractors from across the United States and beyond traveled to South Florida to be part of RC's 15th annual Best of Success conference.

SyncWords makes its Live AI Captioning and Dubbing available via AWS Marketplace.

New Federal Labor Relations Authority training video for federal employees, unions and managers highlights types of work included as part of official time.

The post Federal workers get new source for ‘official time’ laws first appeared on Federal News Network.

Attorneys representing Secret Service agents in a 9-year overtime lawsuit say there may be "light at the end of this tunnel," following a recent court ruling.

The post Federal court ruling brings 9-year Secret Service overtime lawsuit closer to its end first appeared on Federal News Network.

President Joe Biden’s pick to head the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, has withdrawn her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for her controversial tweets

The post Budget nominee Tanden withdraws nomination amid opposition first appeared on Federal News Network.

Play ball on anti-crisis banking laws, EU finance pick tells Trump

A recent study conducted by Apple's artificial intelligence (AI) researchers has raised significant concerns about the reliability of large language models (LLMs) in mathematical reasoning tasks. Despite the impressive advancements made by models like OpenAI's GPT and Meta's LLaMA, the study reveals fundamental flaws in their ability to handle even basic arithmetic when faced with slight variations in the wording of questions.

The massive networks of neurons in our brains produce complex behaviors, like actions and thought. Now physicists want to understand the laws that govern this emergent phenomena.

Location: Main Library- PK6447.A3R36 2014

(The Center Square) — The new year signals new laws taking effect in New Jersey, especially in the health care industry.

(The Center Square) — The new year signals change, specifically new laws which will take effect in Virginia, especially in the health care sector.

L.A. County jurors decided largely in favor of a man with silicosis who had to undergo a double lung transplant after years of cutting engineered stone countertops.

Supreme Court sidesteps a ruling on laws in Florida and Texas that would regulate social media platforms.

In a sweeping lawsuit, the Dept. of Justice on Friday accused TikTok of illegally collecting information on minors without their parents' permission.

Two bills newly signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom outlaw the possession and distribution of sexually charged images of minors even when they're created with computers, not cameras.

The Supreme Court refuses to shield Uber and Lyft from California state labor lawsuits that seek back pay for tens of thousands of drivers.

Collaboration enables customers to securely and confidently use AI to accelerate drug research and discovery.

Zymo Research believes that Qiagen’s lawsuit is part of a larger strategy to misuse litigation as a tool to stifle innovation and delay the adoption of groundbreaking technologies that benefit the scientific and medical communities.  

A Native American group filed a lawsuit against the Washington Commanders after the team alleged the group, which is advocating that the team revert to its "Redskins" title, was "fake."