HARWICH – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has decided that an engagement ring that was part of a marriage proposal on Cape Cod must be returned to the buyer after the wedding was called off.
The case involved Bruce Johnson and Caroline Settino, who got engaged in 2017 at the Wequassett Resort and Golf Club in Harwich.
A trial judge initially concluded Settino should keep the $70,000 ring because Johnson mistakenly thought Settino was cheating on him.
Over six decades ago, it was determined that an engagement ring is generally understood to be a conditional gift which can be ordered returned if the purchaser was “without fault.” State Supreme Court justices said they were joining the modern trend adopted by the majority of jurisdictions that have retired the at-fault concept.
Johnson’s lawyer said the decision moves Massachusetts law in the right direction, while an attorney for Settino said the “conditional gift” rule should no longer be a legal loophole.
Material from The Associated Press was used for this story.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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