A Nassau County judge has overturned an unwritten law of bad breakups: If a bride-to-be finds out her fiancé cheated on her and the marriage is called off, she is definitely keeping (and selling) that ring, ideally blowing the windfall on a rebound getaway weekend in Cancun with all her friends. Danielle Cavalieri, a former flack for fancy PR firm Dan Klores, was supposed to marry her Long Island high-school sweetheart, IT systems engineer John Gunther, last October. But after the whole thing went sideways, Cavalieri held on to the $19,000, 2.2-carat white gold engagement ring. So Gunther took her to court, to the abiding delight of the NY Post.
According to an unidentified source (we're guessing Gunther), "they agreed Cavalieri would return the ring and Gunther would reimburse her father for the cost of the engagement party and give her their $9,000 joint bank account. But when Gunther demanded the ring back, she allegedly replied, 'I'm not ready yet—I'm still too heartbroken.'" Gunther sued her last year, but then Cavalieri filed a counter-claim demanding more than $100,000 from her ex for the "severe emotional distress" she suffered.
On March 30th, Justice F. Dana Winslow overturned centuries of jilted tradition by ruling that New York state law allows a person to get back property that was given "in contemplation of marriage" if the wedding never occurs. "Fault in the breakup of an engagement is irrelevant," Winslow decided. Whatever, we hope Cavalieri appeals this all the way to the Supreme Court—they both seem like tools, but this decision sets a troubling precedent, because what's to stop guys from calling off weddings once they know they can get reimbursed for their flashy rings?
