A paramour is a person who is a love or romantic interest of a married person who is engaging in adultery with the paramour. Spouses engaged in adulterous affairs with paramours sometimes give gifts to their paramours, and often spend marital or community property on such gifts. The non-cheating spouse may pursue a reimbursement claim and ask the court to order the spouse who spent marital assets on a paramour to reimburse the marital or community estate—by returning the gift if it retains its value (jewelry) or replacing the funds with the cheating spouse’s separate property funds.

In Alaska, which is an equitable distribution state, the courts aim to divide marital property fairly, though not necessarily equally, in the event of a divorce. If a spouse has spent marital assets on a paramour, the non-cheating spouse may have grounds to pursue a reimbursement claim. Alaska law allows for consideration of the circumstances surrounding the dissipation of assets when dividing property. This means that if one spouse has used marital funds to buy gifts for a paramour, the court may order reimbursement to the marital estate. The reimbursement could be in the form of returning the item if it retains value, such as jewelry, or by compensating the marital estate with the equivalent value from the cheating spouse's separate property. It's important to note that proving the misuse of marital assets for an affair can be complex and typically requires clear evidence of the spending and its impact on the marital estate.