Contacts:
Mike Dayton, Editor
Aubrey Haznar
Raleigh, NC- (May 23, 2001)- The Davidson College wrestling coach was awarded a record verdict after a jury found a West Palm Beach doctor stole his wife’s love. The jury found Dr. Jeffrey Presser stole the then-Debby Oddo and ordered the doctor to pay $1.4 million to wrestling coach Thomas Oddo of Davidson.
According to North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, the award is believed to be the state’s largest jury verdict in a "heart balm" tort case. Details concerning the record verdict can be found in the May 21st edition of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly and through the weekly legal newspaper’s web site, www.NCLawersWeekly.com.
A majority of states have repealed heart balm statutes, legally known as "alienation of affections" and "criminal conversation." North Carolina currently has a bill pending that would eliminate the current laws, which some say are outdated. Others say the statutes help preserve the family and help put a value on a marriage. A N.C. Senate committee is currently debating the heart balm repeal proposal.
"Even as the legislature moves to abolish these torts as irrelevant in today's society, we continue to see substantial jury awards for them. In the past decade, there have been more than a dozen successful uses of heart balm torts reported to us," said Attorney Michael J. Dayton, editor of North Carolina Lawyers Weekly.
According to testimony entered, Mrs. Oddo and Dr. Presser were junior high school sweethearts who rekindled their love interest for four months before Mrs. Oddo separated from her then husband. After the separation, Mr. Oddo was able to prove his health and his career were harmed because of the extramarital affair.
On May 2nd, the jury found Dr. Presser had committed criminal conversation or had sexual intercourse with Mr. Oddo’s then-wife. It also found Dr. Presser had committed alienation of affections for taking the love, society and companionship of someone else’s spouse. The trial in Mecklenburg County Superior Court lasted two weeks. The defendant, Dr. Presser, went on to marry the then-Mrs. Oddo. The attorney for Dr. Presser has filed a motion for a new trial.
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North Carolina Lawyers Weekly is the legal information leader in North Carolina, providing vital news, opinions, verdicts and settlements, legal analysis and more. Founded in 1972, Lawyers Weekly, Inc. publishes statewide newspapers in six states in addition to North Carolina (Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and Rhode Island), as well as Lawyers Weekly USA, the only national newspaper geared for lawyers in small firms and www.lawyersweeklyusa.com, an Internet resource site. Please visit the paper's customized website at www.NCLawyersWeekly.com for continuously updated legal news and information.
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