North Carolina jury awards $850,000 in lawsuit against former NASCAR driver

NASCAR alienation of affection criminal conversation civil lawsuit North Carolina law

A Davidson County jury has awarded Tracey Hughes $850,002 in a civil lawsuit against former NASCAR driver Jennifer Jo Cobb. The verdict follows a three-day trial in which Hughes accused Cobb of having an affair with her husband, Clayton Hughes, a NASCAR spotter, which led to the breakdown of their marriage.

The award consists of $800,000 for a claim of criminal conversation and $50,000 for alienation of affection. While the jury found Cobb liable for punitive damages on both counts, they awarded only $1 for each.

North Carolina is one of only six states that maintains alienation of affection laws, which allow a spouse to seek damages from a third party for intentionally interfering with a marriage. The lawsuit, filed in January 2024, alleged that the relationship between Cobb and Clayton Hughes involved secret encounters and communications that occurred before the couple separated in January 2021.