Giving back the ring when the wedding is called off

The law in New Jersey is that an engagement ring must be returned to the giver in the event the engagement is broken off. This is true regardless of who actually breaks off the nuptials. However, a Judge in New York ruled that the receiver of the ring (in that case, the bride) could keep the ring because in that particular case, the ring was admittedly a “parting gift.” Gifts, by legal definition, are given with the intent of permanent relinquishment. In the New York case, the groom communicated the break up by text (which was probably his first mistake). But in doing so, he also texted that the $53,000 ring was a “parting gift” to her. The judge took that as the groom’s admission that the ring was a “gift” by legal standards, thus enabling the bride to keep it. The moral of this story is: Be careful what you put in writing.

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