Woman Sues Husband's Alleged Gay Lover
Updated: Fri, Aug 03 8:23 AM EDT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Reuters) - A North Carolina woman has filed an alienation-of-affection lawsuit against a man she alleged entered into a homosexual relationship with her husband, ending their 11-year marriage, according to the lawsuit.

Billie Jean Bonner filed suit in Charlotte, North Carolina, claiming her husband's alleged homosexual relationship with another married man broke up her marriage, according to the lawsuit filed last week in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.

"The defendant, himself a married man, cultivated an adulterous relationship" with Bonner's husband, her attorney, Lane Williamson, said in the lawsuit, which sought unspecified monetary damages.

Bonner, a jewelry broker who is in her 40s and has since separated from her husband, said the man expressed his love for her husband in telephone calls and e-mail messages. The two met from time to time for clandestine trysts, including at least one at Bonner's home, according to the lawsuit.

North Carolina is one of nine states allowing jilted spouses to sue for alienation of affection, although state legislators are considering a bill that would end the suits.

Neither man was immediately available for comment.