Movie Based on Burlington Woman's $1 Million Lawsuit Against Homewrecker Aired

The case of a spurned wife in Burlington who sued her husband’s new wife was revisited last week during prime time.

A two-hour television movie aired on Lifetime was based on Dorothy Hutelmyer’s $1 million lawsuit against the woman she says stole her husband and ruined her fairy-tale marriage.

Hutelmyer sold the rights to her story for an undisclosed sum to the producers of “The Price of a Broken Heart.”

Much of the movie is based on court transcripts and tends to lean more toward Hutelmyer’s side since she won in court, said executive producer Judy Cairo.

Hutelmyer talked to the moviemakers by phone about the script and spent a day on the set during filming in Atlanta. In a Thanksgiving scene, she makes a cameo appearance as a member of her own family.

Actress Park Overall plays Hutelmyer, and Laura Innes plays secretary Lynne Cox, who married Joseph Hutelmyer in 1997 after divorcing his wife of 18 years.

Hutelmyer sued Cox after the marriage, citing alienation of affection and adultery laws.

An Alamance County jury sided with her and awarded $500,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages.

In June, the N.C. Court of Appeals upheld the verdict.