Detective mulls NY’s new divorce law

Marketplace Staff Aug 27, 2010
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Detective mulls NY’s new divorce law

Marketplace Staff Aug 27, 2010
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BOB MOON: New York recently became one of the last states to switch to no-fault divorce. That means couples can dissolve a marriage without the need for one spouse to accuse the other of misbehavior
like adultery. We wondered how the new law might affect those who make their living off suspicious spouses.


JAY SALPETER: My name is Jay Salpeter. I’m a retired New York City detective and since 1992, I’ve been a licensed private investigator in New York state. My experience — 98.5 percent of spouses that come in here to speak to me, 98.5 percent of their spouses are cheating.

When we started surveillances, you know, I hope they have a nice evening out. Because if they have a nice evening out, I have a nice evening out. So if they go into a nice restaurant, I will tell you, I’m going too.

There are so many stories. We’ve trailed someone to Bermuda. We’ve trailed someone to Mexico. You have your typical cases, but then you always have your interesting cases. I’ve had a couple. I mean, a husband of a school teacher hired me to follow his wife when she left school. The good news was it wasn’t another man. But the bad news — it was another female school teacher!

You know, in other businesses, unfortunately you lose business. I have no fear in this law coming into effect because it comes down to — I want to know. I need to know if my spouse is cheating. They really want to have closure. I have no doubt in my mind that it will not affect my business one bit.

MOON: Jay Salpeter’s story comes to us from producer Sally Herships.

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