Legal Ease

A recent New York case pitted two former lovers.  He said he gave her a 10K engagement ring and now wants it back since they broke up.  She said they were never engaged and the ring was just a gift.  Winner? She won because the judge believed the spurned lover never actually asked his ex, “Will you marry me?”

There are few states that have laws requiring the ring recipient to return the ring if the engagement is cancelled. The theory is that an engagement ring is what is called a “conditional gift” meaning “you can keep this gift so long as the condition (us getting married) happens.”  So, if you are planning to pop the big question, it be a good idea to actually utter those four magic words.  Even better, capture it on video!