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Couple of interesting legal matters reported in the Chicago Sun Times today. First, a Salt Lake City woman has sued the marital therapist she and her husband were seeing prior to their divorce. According to the article, the therapist treated the couple prior to their divorce. And, it appears the therapist was providing some individual, "private" counseling to the husband. The ex-wife has alleged the therapist was sleeping with her husband while treating the couple. [Wonder if the husband was billed for the private, one on one sessions?] In any event the wife has filed a lawsuit for alienation of affection, lawyer talk for "you stole my husband". Nowadays, very few alienation of affection cases are filed. People take their lumps and move on. There is however, an interesting wrinkle in this case. Over the last several years, certain professional groups(like lawyers and psychotherapists) have enacted guidelines prohibiting sexual contact with clients while there is an on-going professional relationship. If Utah also prohibits such conduct, the plaintiff can allege violations of those guidelines as part of her case, completely separate from the alienation aspect. The case is now pending before the Utah Supreme Court.

And over in England, a London judge ruled that the mistress of Anthony Shaffer cannot partake of any of his multimillion dollar estate. Shaffer, a successful playwright who wrote "Sleuth" had apparently taken up with his mistress prior to his death in late 2001. After he died, the mistress wanted some of his estate. The judge didn't see it that way and ruled that the estate would be divided up between Shaffer's wife, his ex-wife and his daughters.