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How a careless text message cost one man $53,000

Published Apr 10th, 2014 11:25AM EDT
Text Message Evidence

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One careless text message ended up costing a Buffalo, NY-area man $53,000, Buffalo News reported earlier this week. Louis J. Billittier Jr. dumped his fiancee with a terse text message, breaking off the engagement. Apparently trying to calm down the situation, he then sent a fateful text: “Plus you get a $50,000 parting ring. Enough for a down payment on a house.” Each of those 90 characters ended up having a price tag of roughly $600.

New York state law usually sides with men, giving them the right to demand back an engagement ring if a wedding never takes place. But the man’s text message using the term “parting ring” term seemed to clearly indicate that his former fiancee is entitled to keep the 2.97-carat diamond ring.

When the man changed his mind and started demanding return of the ring, the damage was already done.

“The text messages … have persuaded this court that it is highly probable that a valid gift was given to her after the engagement was terminated” noted State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia, the judge presiding over the civil case.

After launching mobile game company SpringToys tragically early in 2000, Tero Kuittinen spent eight years doing equity research at firms including Alliance Capital and Opstock. He is currently an analyst and VP of North American sales at mobile diagnostics and expense management Alekstra, and has contributed to TheStreet.com, Forbes and Business 2.0 Magazine in addition to BGR.