Monday, March 7, 2011 | 9:11 a.m.
A Chicago woman sued her ex-fiance on Friday, charging their marriage plans fell apart after she found text messages showing he "hooked up" with a woman he met during his Las Vegas bachelor party.
Lauren Serafin filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against Robert Leighton, alleging he has failed to reimburse her the $62,814 she spent preparing for the wedding and honeymoon.
Serafin, an attorney, alleges she dated Leighton, also an attorney, for two years and that after he proposed to her, they had planned to marry on Aug. 21, 2010.
But the lawsuit says she discovered through text messages on his cell phone that on July 17, while in Las Vegas with friends for his bachelor party, he met a woman named Danielle and arranged to meet her at a nightclub that night.
The suit says that after meeting the woman at the club, they had sex in Leighton's hotel room.
On July 24, after returning to Chicago, Leighton attended a wedding shower with Serafin and acted as if nothing had happened, the lawsuit said.
Serafin found the text messages on July 28 and confronted Leighton, the suit says.
"Defendant, seemingly believing that 'what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,' denied that anything happened between himself and Danielle in Las Vegas," the lawsuit charges.
Leighton finally admitted he "made out" with Danielle in Las Vegas and then informed Serafin he would not marry her, the suit charges.
Later, Leighton admitted he "hooked up" with Danielle and Danielle apologized to Serafin, "claiming defendant deceived her as well by not advising her that he was in Las Vegas attending his own bachelor party and that he was engaged to be married," the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit, posted on the website onpointnews.com, alleges breach of the promise to marry and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
"Defendant had a fiduciary duty of implied fidelity to plaintiff," the lawsuit says, adding Serafin "suffered humiliation" by having to tell family members, friends and co-workers that the wedding was canceled and why.
Saying 170 people had planned to attend the wedding and reception, Serafin says in the suit she had reserved a banquet hall at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago and that this involved a cancellation penalty.
The suit says she made nonrefundable purchases of a wedding dress and veil, had reserved salon services, reserved a band, made a deposit with a florist, made nonrefundable purchases of dresses for bridesmaids and flower girls, spent money on invitations, made a deposit with a photographer, booked a hotel for a bachelorette party, booked a wedding shower at a restaurant and made nonrefundable reservations for airfare and a hotel for the honeymoon in Bora Bora.
Leighton declined comment when he was contacted by the Chicago Tribune on Friday, the Tribune reported.
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