A Nicosia district court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit by a Greek Cypriot man demanding the return of the single-stone diamond ring he had given to his ex-fiancée when he proposed marriage.
Specifically, he had demanded either the return of the ring or be awarded compensation of €2,500 – the market value of the ring.
The lawsuit was dismissed on the following grounds:
- According to legislation, a contract concerning property which is given by one future spouse to the other in exchange for marriage is void.
- The fact that the plaintiff’s marriage proposal and the ring were accepted by the defendant cannot be considered to have created an obligation for a marriage between them in exchange for the ring given.
- The ring was not given to the defendant as a gift subject to any condition or stipulation and therefore the plaintiff’s separation claim on the principles of unjust enrichment cannot be valid either.