Current:Home > Back$70,000 engagement ring must be returned after canceled wedding, Massachusetts high court rules-LoTradeCoin
$70,000 engagement ring must be returned after canceled wedding, Massachusetts high court rules
View Date:2024-12-23 16:38:33
BOSTON (AP) — Who gets to keep an engagement ring if a romance turns sour and the wedding is called off?
That’s what the highest court in Massachusetts was asked to decide with a $70,000 ring at the center of the dispute.
The court ultimately ruled Friday that an engagement ring must be returned to the person who purchased it, ending a six-decade state rule that required judges to try to identify who was to blame for the end of the relationship.
The case involved Bruce Johnson and Caroline Settino, who started dating in the summer of 2016, according to court filings. Over the next year, they traveled together, visiting New York, Bar Harbor, Maine, the Virgin Islands and Italy. Johnson paid for the vacations and also gave Settino jewelry, clothing, shoes and handbags.
Eventually, Johnson bought a $70,000 diamond engagement ring and in August 2017 asked Settino’s father for permission to marry her. Two months later, he also bought two wedding bands for about $3,700.
Johnson said he felt like after that Settino became increasingly critical and unsupportive, including berating him and not accompanying him to treatments when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to court filings.
At some point Johnson looked at Settino’s cell phone and discovered a message from her to a man he didn’t know.
“My Bruce is going to be in Connecticut for three days. I need some playtime,” the message read. He also found messages from the man, including a voicemail in which the man referred to Settino as “cupcake” and said they didn’t see enough of each other. Settino has said the man was just a friend.
Johnson ended the engagement. But ownership of the ring remained up in the air.
A trial judge initially concluded Settino was entitled to keep the engagement ring, reasoning that Johnson “mistakenly thought Settino was cheating on him and called off the engagement.” An appeals court found Johnson should get the ring.
In September, the case landed before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, which ultimately ruled that Johnson should keep the ring.
In their ruling the justices said the case raised the question of whether the issue of “who is at fault” should continue to govern the rights to engagement rings when the wedding doesn’t happen.
More than six decades ago, the court found that an engagement ring is generally understood to be a conditional gift and determined that the person who gives it can get it back after a failed engagement, but only if that person was “without fault.”
“We now join the modern trend adopted by the majority of jurisdictions that have considered the issue and retire the concept of fault in this context,” the justices wrote in Friday’s ruling. “Where, as here, the planned wedding does not ensue and the engagement is ended, the engagement ring must be returned to the donor regardless of fault.”
Johnson’s lawyer, Stephanie Taverna Siden, welcomed the ruling.
“We are very pleased with the court’s decision today. It is a well-reasoned, fair and just decision and moves Massachusetts law in the right direction,” Siden said.
A lawyer for Settino did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Asian sesame salad sold in Wegmans supermarkets recalled over egg allergy warning
- Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter after allegations of theft to pay off gambling debts
- ESPN's Dick Vitale, now cancer-free, hopes to call college basketball games next season
- Pennsylvania house fire kills man, 4 children as 3 other family members are rescued
- 'Dangerous and unsanitary' conditions at Georgia jail violate Constitution, feds say
- Stock Up on Spring Cleaning Essentials in Amazon's Big Spring Sale: Air Purifiers for 80% Off & More
- New bipartisan bill would require online identification, labeling of AI-generated videos and audio
- A third man is now charged with murder in the Kansas City Super Bowl rally shooting
- The Army’s answer to a lack of recruits is a prep course to boost low scores. It’s working
- Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits dip to 210,000, another sign the job market is strong
Ranking
- When do new episodes of 'Cobra Kai' Season 6 come out? Release date, cast, where to watch
- Social Security clawed back overpayments by docking 100% of benefits. Now it's capping it at 10%.
- Mom of Utah grief author accused of poisoning her husband also possibly involved in his death, affidavit says
- Beyoncé will receive the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards
- 2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice
- Lawmakers unveil $1.2 trillion funding package, kicking off sprint to avoid government shutdown
- Unlock the full potential of Google: Image and video search secrets revealed!
- Alabama becomes latest state to pass bill targeting diversity and inclusion programs
Recommendation
-
Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
-
Teen to pay fine and do community service to resolve civil rights vandalism complaint
-
Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider responds to Quiet on Set accusations
-
Government funding deal includes ban on U.S. aid to UNRWA, a key relief agency in Gaza, until 2025, sources say
-
Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
-
70 million Americans drink water from systems reporting PFAS to EPA | The Excerpt
-
Tyler Kolek is set to return from oblique injury for No. 2 seed Marquette in NCAA Tournament
-
Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider responds to Quiet on Set accusations