Jury Rules For Prosecutor In Alienation Lawsuit

Jurors in an alienation of affection lawsuit have ruled in favor of a county prosecutor, saying he is not liable for stealing the affections of another man's wife.

Doug Rumpca alleged that Pennington County State's Attorney Glenn Brenner stole the affections of his then-wife, Kellie Rumpca, and later married her.

The jury deliberated less than two hours.

A trial judge earlier threw out the lawsuit but the state Supreme Court in May overturned the ruling, saying a jury should decide if Kellie Rumpca had any affection for her then-husband.

South Dakota is one of a handful of states that still allow so-called alienation of affection lawsuits that permit people to seek financial damages from those they allege have seduced and stolen their spouses.