An 84 year-old lecturer at a local college was so miserly that he padlocked the fridge every morning and checked all his pockets, fearing that his wife might find a coin that he missed.
"I have tolerated his greed my whole life, but now this trait of my husbands has turned into a mental disorder," the woman said in court.
The couple's neighbors, who appeared as witnesses in court, said the woman was unable to eat until her husband returned from work, as the fridge was locked and she had no money to buy food.
She added that her miserly husband reproached her for spending a 'whole' dollar on food each day, which he said was wasting money.
Immediately after obtaining the divorce, the woman moved to live with her younger unmarried son, but neighbors say that her tight-fisted ex-husband still keeps the fridge locked when he goes out in fear his wife might get her revenge by emptying the contents.