An engagement ring may symbolise romance, but the courts remain decidedly practical about who keeps it after a split, writes Mark Pawlowski, barrister and professor emeritus of property law at the University of Greenwich, in this week's NLJ
Pawlowski explores how the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1970 treats engagement rings as an ‘absolute gift’ unless it can be shown they were given on condition that they be returned if the wedding never happened.
Reviewing cases from ‘whirlwind romance’ disputes to a £206,000 Barbados proposal, Pawlowski highlights judges grappling with evidence ranging from Instagram posts calling someone ‘the love of my life and future husband’ to prenup meetings and wedding bookings.
Expensive jewellery and failed engagements can produce surprisingly unromantic litigation—and couples may be wise to ‘record their intentions in writing’.
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