Gambling and Dirty Underwear Lead to Divorce

I came across an interesting case out of a court in Mississippi and thought I would share. Husband's conduct constituted habitual cruelty as ground for divorce; husband committed intentional, often dishonest, and possibly criminal acts, through which he dissipated the parties' assets to fund his gambling addiction, and his sexual and personal hygiene issues rendered the relationship revolting to wife.

The Court found that Husband‘s behavior taken as a whole, constitutes habitual cruelty. His qualifying conduct includes not only his gambling losses of over $300,000, but his series of intentional, often dishonest, and possibly criminal acts, through which he dissipated the parties‘ assets to fund his gambling addiction.

Further, the Court found that his sexual and personal-hygiene issues rendered the relationship ―revolting. Wife testified Husband had ―loose bowels and would often get into bed with her wearing soiled underwear. Wife claimed Husband ―refused to wash, clean up. And this was at least five times a week most weeks. Even after Wife laid out clean underwear for Husband, he refused to change out of his soiled ones. Wife explained the odor was so revolting to her that she frequently slept in a separate room.

Husband also claimed that since Wife accompanied him to the casino about six times, she condoned the vast majority of his substantial gambling debt. However, the Court did not find his argument compelling.