Watts v. Watts
Virginia Court of Appeals
40 Va. App. 685 (2003)
- Written by Mary Katherine Cunningham, JD
Facts
Charles Watts (defendant) and Linda Watts (plaintiff) were married in May 1980, and the couple had one child, born in May 1988. In April 2001, Linda filed for divorce on the ground of adultery. In April 2002, the trial court held an ore tenus hearing on the issues of adultery and equitable distribution. During the hearing, Linda testified that Charles started coming home late from work and receiving romantic messages from Virginia Mae Glass. In March 2001, Linda hired a private investigator, Dairold Easterwood, who began following Charles. Easterwood observed Charles and Glass hugging and kissing outside of Charles’s truck and observed them in different residences and buildings. During the trial, Glass and Charles both refused to answer questions about the nature of her relationship with Charles. The trial court found that Linda established her claim of Charles’s adultery and entered a final decree of divorce in July 2002. Charles appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Willis, J.)
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