Mario Williams Suing Ex-Fiancee For $785K For Not Giving Back Engagement Ring
Donor Beware- Do not Buy a $785,000 engagement ring unless you are sure you are going to get married and the recipient isn't trying to use you for your generosity.
Here comes the next court battle over one of the most expensive engagement rings ever head of in the NFL.....
Court records say Williams — the former Texans defensive end who now plays for the Buffalo Bills – gave Erin Marzouki a $785,000, 10-carat diamond engagement ring in February 2012. Williams claims his former fiancée terminated the engagement earlier this year and as a result he should have the ring returned. They further go one to say that the “defendant never intended to marry plaintiff and used the relationship as a means to get to plaintiff’s money and acquire gifts.”
So the real question in Texas is if the donee broke off the engagement does the donor, Williams in this case get the ring returned?
The general rule is that the ring is a conditional gift precedent to marriage. Which means that I give you this (ring) on the condition that you marry me in order for it to become a complete gift.
After marriage, the ring becomes the receiver's separate property, or a complete gift. But in that period between the proposal and the altar, the ring is just a temporary offering.
The rule that Texas follows is that if the person that accepted the engagement ring is the one who breaks the engagement off, then the ring is to be returned because the gift was never completed
It does have that element of 'Whose fault it is that the marriage didn't happen?
If the giver has a change of heart, the receiver is entitled to keep the ring after accepting the proposal.
Diamonds are a girl's best friend - but only if she plans on saying "I do." especially in this case. Erin its time to give the bling back and walk away with dignity.