You found the man of your dreams.
You thought you were ready for the storybook ending.
You wanted it all, the American dream, the house the yard the white fence.
You said yes when he asked you to marry him, you were so excited! He even gave you a beautiful, sparkling diamond to wear on your finger.
But then something happened, and whatever it was, you had to end it.
If nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, how many should have ended during the engagement? It's a lot cleaner, when you don't have to split up ALL of your assets, but there is one expensive piece of jewelry you may have to give back.
If nothing else you probably shouldn't wear that gold on your left ring finger any more.
But, do you HAVE to give it back? Do you own it or does he? Was the ring a gift or was it a symbol of a marriage that didn't happen? Do you have any legal justification for ownership of the thing? Does he? First off, remember that no matter how you're feeling, whether you're angry or hurt, depressed or vengeful, breakups are hard.
Breaking off an engagement is really hard.
However, you need to think about the ring, which likely cost a few thousand bucks, with a clear head, and not get emotional about it.
If you take the question of legal ownership of the ring to lawyers or the courts, it's going to cost you quite a bit of money.
Probably more money than the ring is even worth.
But, if you absolutely can't come to an agreement and can't figure it out between the two of you, and you decide it's time to involve the legal system to decide who owns the ring, here are a few things that are important to understand.
First off, this is not legal advice and should not be taken as such; it's just some facts from previous cases and precedent.
You should seek your own legal council in your city or state.
Remember that in our federal system in the United States of America, each state has it's own laws, courts, and systems.
As a woman, your primary motion as to why the ring is yours is that your former boyfriend presented it to you as a gift.
Our laws state that in order for an item to classify as such it must meet the following criteria 1.
Intent to present the item as a gift 2.
The actually act of presenting it 3.
You taking the item and thinking it's a gift.
All three of those probably happened during the proposal, so you're probably thinking "Great! That means it's a gift!" BUT: The ring also could be considered to be a present that is conditional, and falls under that interpretation of the law.
It was given to you on the condition that you got married to the presenter of the gift.
No marriage, no present.
Unfortunately for you, states don't always agree!! In fact, in Missouri there is a division in the case histories, and at different times different judges found different answers to the question! So, what can you do: 1.
Try and not have it go to the courts, remember how much $ it will cost you 2.
Check with your specific states precedents, and present those to your boyfriend 3.
Engage a civil lawyer in your area
You thought you were ready for the storybook ending.
You wanted it all, the American dream, the house the yard the white fence.
You said yes when he asked you to marry him, you were so excited! He even gave you a beautiful, sparkling diamond to wear on your finger.
But then something happened, and whatever it was, you had to end it.
If nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, how many should have ended during the engagement? It's a lot cleaner, when you don't have to split up ALL of your assets, but there is one expensive piece of jewelry you may have to give back.
If nothing else you probably shouldn't wear that gold on your left ring finger any more.
But, do you HAVE to give it back? Do you own it or does he? Was the ring a gift or was it a symbol of a marriage that didn't happen? Do you have any legal justification for ownership of the thing? Does he? First off, remember that no matter how you're feeling, whether you're angry or hurt, depressed or vengeful, breakups are hard.
Breaking off an engagement is really hard.
However, you need to think about the ring, which likely cost a few thousand bucks, with a clear head, and not get emotional about it.
If you take the question of legal ownership of the ring to lawyers or the courts, it's going to cost you quite a bit of money.
Probably more money than the ring is even worth.
But, if you absolutely can't come to an agreement and can't figure it out between the two of you, and you decide it's time to involve the legal system to decide who owns the ring, here are a few things that are important to understand.
First off, this is not legal advice and should not be taken as such; it's just some facts from previous cases and precedent.
You should seek your own legal council in your city or state.
Remember that in our federal system in the United States of America, each state has it's own laws, courts, and systems.
As a woman, your primary motion as to why the ring is yours is that your former boyfriend presented it to you as a gift.
Our laws state that in order for an item to classify as such it must meet the following criteria 1.
Intent to present the item as a gift 2.
The actually act of presenting it 3.
You taking the item and thinking it's a gift.
All three of those probably happened during the proposal, so you're probably thinking "Great! That means it's a gift!" BUT: The ring also could be considered to be a present that is conditional, and falls under that interpretation of the law.
It was given to you on the condition that you got married to the presenter of the gift.
No marriage, no present.
Unfortunately for you, states don't always agree!! In fact, in Missouri there is a division in the case histories, and at different times different judges found different answers to the question! So, what can you do: 1.
Try and not have it go to the courts, remember how much $ it will cost you 2.
Check with your specific states precedents, and present those to your boyfriend 3.
Engage a civil lawyer in your area