Taylor v. Keefe

In Taylor v. Keefe, 134 Conn. 156, 56 A.2d 768 (1947), a child brought an action against the defendant for alienation of affections where the defendant allegedly had seduced the love and affection of the mother away from the plaintiff child. Taylor v. Keefe, supra, 134 Conn. 157. The Court recognized the distinction between the legal right between spouses to one another's love and affection as compared to the child's natural rights, which the courts can "legalize" through recognition. Id., 157-58. For public policy reasons, the court did not recognize the child's cause of action under a theory of alienation of affections. Id., 161. In reaching that conclusion, the court also considered whether Connecticut should recognize a cause of action for alienation of affections brought by a parent against another person for the alienation of a child's affections. Id., 161-62. The court declined to recognize the claim because it sounded in alienation of affections. Id.