Crim Con Court

Perhaps you have seen the phrase "crim. con." getting tossed around here, especially in reference to certain tarts. Crim con is the abbreviation for Criminal Conversation, trials usually connected to divorce...but not actual divorce trials. When a tart wandered into another man's arms and her husband found out he could charge that man of, well, trespassing. Although enlightened thinking may have given women more rights and freedoms than they previously had, they were still considered property of their husbands. Crim con trials are a perfect example of this primeval state of mind still being practiced.

Here is how these trials typically went down: Lady Tart and Lord Rake would conduct a steamy, semi-public affair. When Lord Cuckold discovers his wife's infidelities he is outraged but mostly embarrassed in how Lady Tart emasculated him in front of everyone. Lord Cuckold has many different options for revenge on his wife, one being divorce, which is extremely costly and time-consuming. In order to seek revenge on Lord Rake he can press crim con charges and, if Lord Rake is found guilty, get some money out of him. Crim Con's weren't exclusively for husbands who had been cheated on. They were originally masterminded for husband's who wanted "justice" if their wife had been raped. Sex wasn't even a criterion to validate the case, you could sue for any form of tarnishing the property.

So basically crim con is suing that guy for fooling around with your wife. You can still do that today, there just isn't a special name for it. It makes good daytime television though.