Like virtually every other state, Texas allows no-fault divorce. Decades ago, if someone wanted to divorce their husband or wife, they had to prove that their spouse is responsible for the breakdown of the marriage. Commonly acceptable grounds for divorce included cruelty, adultery and abandonment.
Today, neither party needs to prove any of these things to be granted a divorce. All a person filing for divorce in Texas needs to claim is “insupportability,” which the law defines as “discord or conflict… that destroys the legitimate ends of the marital relationship” and makes reconciliation reasonably remote.
Still, accusations of adultery do sometimes make their way into more contentious divorces. If the spouses cannot agree on a child custody arrangement and the court must decide, evidence of infidelity might affect the judge’s opinion of the cheating spouse’s ability to be a fit parent.
It appears that was the thinking in a divorce case in Kentucky that involved University of Texas football coach Charlie Strong. The husband in the case accused Strong of having an affair with his wife, and was set to compel Strong to testify in court before the parties settled late in February, SportsDay reports.
In a Feb. 19 motion, the husband’s attorney called Strong, who formerly coached at the University of Louisville, a “crucial witness.” The motion sought cellphone and other records from Strong, along with items the wife allegedly gave Strong as gifts, including a watch. The husband also wanted Strong to testify in court about the coach’s relationship with his wife.
Before that could happen, the parties reached a divorce settlement. Before the settlement was announced, Strong declined to go into specifics about the matter.