Court Rules Woman Must Return $70K Engagement Ring After Man Called Off Wedding
There's a long-standing debate about what happens when an engagement is called off: Who should get to keep the ring?
After 65 years of court debates in Massachusetts, a ruling has been made the fate of one very expensive engagement ring.
Could this be the end of the debate forever?
Reuters reports that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has sided with groom Bruce Johnson in his years-long legal battle with his former romantic partner, Caroline Settino.
Johnson was attempting to get back the ring he used to propose to Settino, even though he is the one who ended the relationship.
A little history lesson here: In the 1930s, lawsuits over the return of engagement rings kind of ended after states started to abolish what they called "Heart Balm" claims, which allowed women to pursue a claim to get a ring back after their engagement was called off.
But the ring-giver won this time, perhaps starting a new trend of lawsuits for ring ownership in relationships gone awry.
This War of the Roses has been going on between this particular couple since 2018. Johnson called off his planned wedding to Settino in 2017 after he suspected she was having an affair.
Between the $70,000 ring and all of the money in legal fees, one can assume that this was a win for Johnson.
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