Evelyn Lozada called off her engagement to Carl Crawford for a wedding that was set to take place 3 weeks ago. She stated that she had doubts as to her fiance’s fidelity. The television personality is making headlines again for keeping the 14.5 carat ring worth a whopping $1.4 million.
In California, an engagement ring is considered a conditional gift – you get ownership of the ring on the condition that you get married. If that condition is not satisfied, then there is a legal obligation to return the ring. In Ontario however, the law is a little grayer.
There is no hard and fast rule in Ontario law when it comes to the treatment of engagement rings. Courts will tend to look at who ended the relationship. If a woman has accepted the ring and then refused to fulfill the commitment to marry, courts have ordered the return of the ring. However, where a man proposes and then changes his mind, he generally will not get the ring back after reneging on his promise of marriage. There are however cases where the court has indicated that an engagement ring is a gift like any other in the eyes of the law, and therefore once it is given, the giftor cannot demand its return. This seems more in line with the thinking of Ms. Lozada.