Add this to the “no-fault” laws: the no-fault engagement ring. The state Court of Appeals says the ring goes back to the buyer, no matter who broke off the engagement.
The appeals court, in a decision released Wednesday, ruled that the ring is a present “that is a completed gift only upon marriage.”
“Because the engagement ring is a conditional gift, when the condition is not fulfilled, the ring or its value should be returned to the donor, no matter who broke the engagement or caused it to be broken,” the court said in a 3-0 ruling.
The decision upheld an Oakland County Circuit Court ruling that awarded a $19,500 engagement ring to its buyer, Barry Meyer. He and Robyn Mitnick became engaged Aug. 9, 1996, but broke it off three months later, the appeals court said.
Mitnick did not return the engagement ring, and Meyer filed suit in December of that year. Because Meyer broke off the engagement, Mitnick argued, she was entitled to keep the ring.
