Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Robert Reed put an end to a five-year legal battle over a $40,000 engagement ring when he ruled the piece must be returned to its purchaser, Rodney Ripley.
The judge cited a New York law that states "if no marriage occurs, the ring must be returned-and the reasons for the breakup are irrelevant."
Ripley and Jennifer Rutten became engaged in December of 2011 in a dramatic Brooklyn Bridge proposal in front of friends and relatives. The engagement was called off within a year.
Rutten's attorney, William Costigan, alleged that the ring did not meet the civil court minimum value of $25,000, but Ripley's attorney countered when he presented the judge with a receipt for the ring that showed his client paid $39,057.10 and had it insured for $40,000.
Justice Reed's decision, printed in the New York Post allows Rutten up to 45 days to return the ring or to pay the purchased cash value to her former fiancée.
The reason behind the couples split was not given.
Photo Credit: Getty Images