Family attorneys have seen ex-spouses fork over money for all kinds of things in the middle of contested divorces in Pasadena. From pet alimony to furniture repair, there's no limit as to what halves of divorcing couples want to be monetarily compensated for. But France may have just topped California when it comes to bizarre divorce stories.
According to the Telegraph, a French man has been ordered to pay his ex-wife $14,000 in damages for failing to have enough sex with her during their marriage. The Telegraph reports:
"The 51-year-old man was fined under article 215 of France's civil code, which states married couples must agree to a 'shared communal life.'"
A family court judge ruled this week that this law implies that "sexual relations must form part of a marriage." This unique ruling comes after the wife filed for divorce two years ago. The cause for the break-up? According to the woman, it was a lack of sexual activity initiated by her husband that caused the couple to split up.
The husband, named only as "Jean-Louis B.," was solely responsible for the split, according to the judge who granted the divorce. Yet his wife was still unsatisfied with the results and returned to court. This time she demanded 10,000 euros in financial compensation for "lack of sex over 21 years of marriage."
The ex-husband claimed "tiredness and health problems" had prevented him from being more attentive between the sheets. But a judge in the south of France's highest court disagreed. The ruling stated: "A sexual relationship between husband and wife is the expression of affection they have for each other, and in this case it was absent. By getting married, couples agree to sharing their life and this clearly implies they will have sex with each other."