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Dear Breakup Girl,

If a girl breaks off the engagement, isn't the guy entitled to get the ring back? Many lawyers say yes. Help me please; it is a little over a carat and cost $3200.

--Tom

Dear Tom,

According to the Breakup Girl Legal Department,* that depends. To wit (BG's gloss):

"Did you think of the ring as a gift, or as an exchange for, if you will, her hand? If the former, then it falls into the category of stuff -- expensive stuff, granted -- that people lose when relationships end. There's always something: a car, innocence, what have you. If the latter, then you at least have grounds for requesting a return, as technically, she did not come through on the bargain she ostensibly agreed to when she put it on her finger. Worth the hassle to engage -- and pay for -- an actual lawyer? Unclear.

The BGLD is fairly certain, however, that BG herself would say that in her court, the onus is on your ex, and that -- legal precedent notwithstanding -- manners necessitate the ring return. Sentimentally speaking, the ring is of dubious value; further, your ex's selling it would indicate a less-than-one-carat conscience -- ergo, someone you might not want to be legally wed to in the first place. So sorry for your loss.

That'll be $3200."

Love,
Breakup Girl & BGLD

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