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San
Diego, CA - This
Valentine's Day you'd probably like to be anywhere but in a courtroom.
However, certain people will undoubtedly give the wrong gift, recite a bad
poem, or cancel dinner plans with their significant others. And some
unlucky individuals could hear "See you in court!" after
breaking such a romantic rule.
"If you don't have a
date this Valentine's Day, you might be better off," said Andy
Kotner, President of San Diego CALA. "A failed romantic
"courtship" could land you in the courtroom instead of stranded
at the altar."
A few examples:
- Give Me Back My
Ring - The Courts Rule Both Ways
After his ex-fiancé
broke off their engagement, a Maryland State Trooper sued he woman
because she refused to return the $5,000 engagement ring. The
woman claimed the ring was a gift and she was not obligated to return
it. The man testified that the couple had broken up six times during
their engagement. The court agreed with the woman and let her keep the
ring. -
"Ex-fiancé
to appeal in ring lawsuit," The Herald Mail, Sept. 30,1999
Last April, a man sued
his ex-fiancé, seeking return of the engagement ring he had given his
girlfriend 10 years prior, or payment of $14,980, the ring's appraisal
value, plus punitive damages. The court sided with the man. One legal
scholar, who studies ring-return cases, noted that courts have fallen
into a pattern in which men are permitted to recover engagement rings or
their worth, but women often have no recovery method for emotional
turmoil, performing household tasks and for wedding planning. -"Ex-Fiancé
Sues to Get Back Diamond Ring," The Legal Intelligencer Suburban
Edition, April 26, 2000
- Fake Engagement
Ring and Fake Hair Spell Trouble for Groom
After three months of
unblissful marriage, two Michigan newlyweds filed for divorce and asked
a jury to decide if the bride should receive payment from the groom for
claims that he gave her a fake diamond engagement ring and spent their
wedding money on personal hair transplants. -
"Woman claims new husband used wedding money for hair
transplants," Associated Press, October 6, 2000
After her ex-boyfriend
bought a car that she liked, a woman in Oregon made a deal with the man
that she would date him again, and even promised marriage, if he signed
over the title to his Toyota 4Runner to her. The man agreed to her
terms; so the woman took his car and then broke up with him four days
later. The ex-girlfriend refused to return the car claiming, "he
did not deserve it." So the man sued the woman for the car or its
cash value. -
"Oregon's Unusual Lawsuits," The Oregonian, February 25,
1999
"Have a wonderful
Valentine's Day, but if your special day doesn't work out, remember to
take personal responsibility for your actions. The line between love and
litigation is one you don't want to cross," commented Kotner.
San Diego County CALA is
a non-profit, grassroots public education organization. Its mission is to
inform consumers about the costs of lawsuit abuse and ensure the legal
system is used for justice, not greed.
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