A man sued his ex-fiancée after she refused to return her engagement ring, but the judge did not rule in the man’s favor because of a message he sent while breaking off the engagement.
According to the Buffalo News, Louis J. Billittier Jr. sued Christa M. Clark for not returning the ring after their July 2012 breakup. In November, both sides presented their arguments in a civil trial.
This week Judge Russell P. Buscaglia ruled in favor of Clark and awarded her the white gold, four-prong, 2.97-carat diamond ring. The judge cited that a text message, which turned out to be extremely costly for Billittier, was the deciding factor.
After the 55-year-old infuriated his former bride-to-be by breaking off their engagement via text, he decided to send a follow-up message that he wishes he could take back.
"Plus you get a $50,000 parting ring. Enough for a down payment on a house," the text read.
In addition to that text, which the judge said showed that the ring was a gift, Billittier later sent texts asking the 38-year-old woman for the ring back. Judge Buscaglia said that those texts implied “giver’s remorse.”
Under New York state law the spouse is entitled to recoup the ring, unless it is given as a gift.
Billittier reportedly ended the engagement because his fiancée would not sign a prenuptial agreement, however, Clark’s attorney told the MailOnline that is not true.