Woman Convinces Fiancé To Sign Legal Contract Agreeing To Pay Her Bills If He Cheats On Her
fizkes | Shutterstock A woman has sparked debate after posting a video online sharing that her partner legally signed a document stating that if he cheats on her, he will have to pay her bills.
Chaylene has amassed over eight million views on a video discussing the official contract she had drawn up, with her fiancé’s consent, ahead of their wedding.
The legal document stated that if her fiancé cheats, he would have to pay her bills.
Chaylene started the video off by saying, “I have just reached a new level of crazy. I just made, well, I did not make, he did it out of his own free will, but my fiancé just signed a legal document, and we got it notarized that if he cheats on me, he has to pay my bills.”
Chaylene showed the document and the signatures, laughing at her creative plan. “If he cheats on me, he’s in trouble. I’m so smart, or crazy, I don’t know.”
People applauded Chaylene for her forward-thinking and for doing what some women only wished they had done when it was already too late. One user said, “My kind of prenup, thank you for setting this precedent for me.”
“You've unlocked a part of the brain that not many people have access to,” said another viewer. Another commented, “Can you send us a link to this pdf document?”
But for others, the contract was a sign of some underlying issues in the relationship.“No trust already. Setting it up for failure,” read one comment, while others chimed in with similar concerns about the precedent this would set. “If you feel like you need to do this then you don't need to get married,” another person argued.
The woman made a follow-up video to explain the terms of the contract and the reasoning behind it.
“I do have some trust issues. I financially have been screwed over so many times,” she said in a follow-up video, explaining that she is not going to make the same mistake twice. “We are now engaged, and we are doing things financially together,” she said, adding that because they are making accounts together, they were already drawing up legal documents to protect their assets. “I just want both of us to have our backs.”
Chaylene said her fiancé was the one who typed up their agreement, and while he was doing it, she happened to mention the cheating clause “as a joke.” So, he decided to add it, which Chaylene said she found “romantic.”
“I am not crazy,” she joked, “And even if a girl did want to do that, who are you to say that they can’t because, guess what? People cheat all the time, and girls waste their time.”
Infidelity clauses in prenuptial agreements are rarely enforced.
PeopleImages | Shutterstock
Infidelity clauses or cheating clauses in prenuptial agreements aren't uncommon because, in theory, they sound like a great idea. Who wouldn't want the security of knowing that if a spouse strays, you're ensured a safety net? The problem is, they are not easy to enforce.
Lawyer Zachary Townsend explained, "Although infidelity clauses are not necessarily invalid in and of themselves, the nature of the language of such clauses, along with possible proof problems for the non-cheating party, makes infidelity clauses difficult to enforce and vulnerable to being challenged." He added, "Certain jurisdictions or states reject infidelity clauses because of the state’s stance on not regulating morals."
Instead, these clauses are designed more as a security blanket for spouses or perhaps even a misguided deterrent. A better solution would be to simply draw up a detailed and equitable financial plan should the marriage fail for any reason.
When it comes to marriage, there are no guarantees. There's always a risk that things won't turn out like the happily-ever-after you hoped. Protecting yourself with a prenup is smart, but an infidelity clause, like the one Chaylene and her fiancé signed, isn't the way to do that. Discussing financials, determining spousal support based on income differences, and factoring in children or other family obligations makes much more sense.
If, however, the idea of having your partner sign on the dotted line promising that they won't stray gives you peace of mind, there's nothing really wrong with that either. It's not much different than sigining a marriage license after exchanging vows. Just be sure to get your financials sorted without relying solely on the cheating clause because chances are it won't give you the security you're hoping for.
Annabelle Miller is a writer based in Connecticut. She covers human interest, relationships, self-help, and psychology.
