We’re Through! Now, Give Me Back That Ring!
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008What happens to the ring when an engagement is called off? Is it an unconditional gift so the chick keeps it? Or is it a conditional gift and the dude gets it back? That question was addressed in a recent New York Times article. Some states’ views differ, but in Texas, if the chick says “hold the weddin’” then the dude gets the ring back. In this situation the ring was a conditional gift… conditioned on a weddin’. But, if the dude calls it quits, and therefore he breaks the condition of the gift, he cannot benefit from that bad act, so he doesn’t get it back. Of course, there may always be exceptions to the general rule, like what if the ring is the dude’s great-grandmother’s ring. And, generally speaking, the cost of litigating over who should have the ring would almost always outweigh the cost of the ring.
