Adulterous wife gets $24 million

Here is big divorce case:

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Howard and Susan Sosin had everything that money could buy. They took exciting vacations, owned numerous homes, 18 cars and surrounded themselves with fine art.

But money, as the saying goes, doesn't buy happiness. Their divorce, granted Wednesday by a Bridgeport Superior Court judge, is the largest award in a state divorce case that has gone to trial, attorneys say. Legal experts said the case ranks among the largest in the nation. ...

In addition to the $24 million payment, Susan Sosin also keeps $6 million in her brokerage accounts, eight cars, and $2.9 million in jewelry, including a ruby piece her husband had bought for her but hadn't given to her prior to their divorce.

The couple met in 1978 when Howard Sosin was an assistant professor at Columbia University. At the time, she was married to another man and working in retail. ...

While Howard Sosin was working, according to trial testimony, his wife took up heli-skiing, which involves ascending to a peak via helicopter before skiing down, and rock climbing.

While rock climbing in 1996, Susan Sosin admitted in testimony she became intimate with a guide. She testified it was a spontaneous and isolated occurrence.

During a flight to China in 2000, she met a married man, and that led to a lengthy affair, according to testimony.

Howard Sosin learned of his wife's relationships in February 2003 when, during an upgrade of their computer system, he found hundreds of e-mails between his wife and her lover, according to testimony.

It sounds like his first mistake was to date a married woman. His second was to think that she would be different from him. His third was to expect justice from the courts.