Feltmeier v. Feltmeier
Supreme Court of Illinois
798 N.E.2d 75 (2003)
Lynn and Robert Feltmeier (plaintiff and defendant) married in 1986 and divorced in 1997; Lynn alleged Robert physically and verbally abused her, stalked her, sabotaged her career, and isolated her from help throughout the marriage and for a year after the divorce. She sued in 1999 for intentional infliction of emotional distress, alleging resulting PTSD, depression, fear, and loss of self-esteem. Robert challenged whether the tort applies between spouses at all, the sufficiency of her evidence, and whether her claim was time-barred. The intermediate appellate court ruled for Lynn.
Whether a former spouse's claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress, based on a pattern of abusive conduct spanning the marriage and filed within a year after the conduct ceased, is barred by public policy or the statute of limitations.