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After joining Chatham County-based Gaines Oil Co. in 2017, Susan Cribbs worked her way up to chief financial officer. Last December, she became CEO Todd Gaines’ wife.
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Now, she stands accused by Gaines’ ex-wife of alienation of affection.
North Carolina is one of a few states that still recognize alienation of affection, a premise dating to an era when men viewed their wives as property, The News & Observer previously reported. The law permits a former or current spouse to sue someone who has allegedly ruined their marriage, but it’s often difficult to prove in court.
In a high-profile case, a Durham judge ruled in March that social-media influencer Brenay Kennard could pause paying $1.75 million in damages to a woman who successfully sued Kennard for having an affair with her now ex-husband, while Kennard appeals the ruling.
In the Chatham County case, Jan Poole, the former wife of Todd Gaines, filed her suit against Cribbs, now known as Susan Mercer Gaines, last September, six days before a judge granted her husband’s motion to divorce her, court records show.
“Prior to the deliberate interference of the Defendant, the marriage of the Plaintiff and her husband was a close and loving one, and genuine love and affection existed between them,” the lawsuit states.
But that marriage began to crumble in September 2023, when Todd Gaines accidentally sent his wife a text message intended for Susan Cribbs while the couple were on a beach vacation.
“Susan, are you alone? ❤️❤️,” the text message read, according to the complaint.
Jan Poole replied, “This is your wife, why are you sending her hearts?”
When Poole attempted to get answers from her then-husband, he would only cry and deny the affair, her lawsuit alleges.
About two weeks later, it states, Todd Gaines accidentally called Poole while he was at work, and she overheard him telling Cribbs he loved her.
The incident rocked the Gaineses’ 10-year marriage, according to the lawsuit. The couple married in 2013, and Poole helped raise Gaines’ three children from a previous relationship, her suit states. During that time, she also helped run Gaines Oil Co., also known as GOC.
The company, which has been in Todd Gaines’ family for three generations, has been named by the Triangle Business Journal as a “Fast 50 Awards” recipient. It handles fuel deliveries and quality management locally and nationally, according to its website, which describes GOC as a faith-driven company striving “to honor God through the quality of our work and the care we show to our customers and community.”
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When Poole would find her husband and Cribbs behind locked doors at the Gaines Oil Co. office, she initially believed them when they claimed they were in meetings, her complaint states. But after the 2023 revelations, Todd Gaines started dressing differently and staying out late, and he began exchanging money with Cribbs, Poole alleges.
Todd Gaines ultimately admitted to Poole that he’d been in love with Cribbs for several months, according to her complaint. For reasons she doesn’t specify in the lawsuit, Poole believes the affair actually began in 2021 or 2022.
Todd Gaines moved out of their home in June 2024, filing for divorce in July 2025, according to public records. Cribbs also divorced her husband in October 2025, court records indicate.
Poole’s attorney sent Cribbs a letter in August 2024 indicating she was considering suing, according to court documents. A settlement appeared to be on the table from July 2025 to early September 2025, but after Cribbs’ lawyer didn’t respond to emails from Poole’s attorney, Poole moved forward with the suit, her attorney wrote.
Cribbs didn’t acknowledge the suit for several months, and a default judgment against her was entered Nov. 19, 2025, court records show. But that order was stayed after her attorney, Brooks Haislip, filed a motion indicating he’d delayed responding while trying to sort out a possible familial conflict of interest with Todd Gaines. It’s not clear how the two could be related, and Poole’s attorney, Kathleen Murphy, has challenged the assertion in court filings.
In any case, the suit was revived, with subpoenas and deposition requests beginning in January, court records show. That included a request to depose Cribbs’ daughter, whose Facebook profile indicates she worked at Gaines Oil Co. from October 2018 to 2025.
The lawsuit is currently set for trial later this month, with the parties failing to reach an agreement after more than five hours of mediation in August and September, according to the mediator’s report.
Meanwhile, Cribbs became Susan Gaines on Dec. 6, 2025, after marrying Todd Gaines in Lee County, public records show.
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