In the days of yore, when handsome young men fought for the hands of beautiful maidens, some maidens were less than ethical. Indeed, I knew of at least two maidens, perhaps not quite as pure as the driven snow, who indulged in serial engagements simply to get the rings. Get the ring, drop the man. Ah, the romance.

These erstwhile friends of mine would have problems in modern-day Tennessee, where Judge Charles D. Susano has proclaimed that If the marriage doesn't take place, the engagement ring should be returned to the one who gave it.

The decision stems from a legal battle over an engagement ring that began in a Knox County court. The battle concerned a ring given to Catharyn Campbell on Christmas Day, 2005 when her boyfriend, Jason Crippen, proposed. The couple eventually broke up and Crippen asked for his ring back. Campbell preferred to keep it and Crippen sued for its return. In the first hearing, the court ruled that the ring was a gift and, as such, Campbell was entitled to keep it. Crippen was dissatisfied with this ruling and went to appeal. This time things went his way and Campbell was ordered to return the ring.

She's better off out of it, after all, who wants to be married to a man who asks for his Christmas gifts back...

Tenessean.com