Jilted woman keeps $53k engagement ring as 'gift'

A woman who was dumped by her fiancé in a bitter text message exchange is allowed to keep her $53,000 engagement ring after a judge ruled that it was a parting gift.

Louis J Billittier Jr sued 38-year-old Christa M Clark after she refused to give him back the 3-carat diamond ring when he ended their 14-month relationship in July 2012, the Buffalo News reports.

"Your (sic) doing this through a text message????" Ms Clark replied.

Her 55-year-old fiancé hit back saying "you get a $50,000 parting ring. Enough for a down payment on a house".

Under New York state law the spouse is entitled to take back the ring, but not when they imply it is a gift. Mr Billittier, who broke off the engagement because Ms Clark wouldn't sign a prenuptial agreement, told a court he sent the text as a joke.

"I was being sarcastic, like a game show host – you get a parting gift," he said.

But the judge, Justice Russell Buscaglia, said the text showed the ring was a gift.

"Parting gifts on game shows usually pale in comparison to the grand prize sought in such contests, unlike here where the ring is at the heart of this lawsuit," the judge said.

Further text messages sent by Mr Billittier showed that he had changed his mind and had "giver's remorse", the judge ruled.

"Keep it up, and I will take back the ring as well," he texted.

"You by law have to give it back. You're nowhere near the person I thought you were. You don't deserve it."

Source: Buffalo News
Author: Emily Crane, Approving editor: Matthew Henry