Careless Engagement Breakup Over Text Costs Man $53,000

By Eric Corpus, Friday, April 11, 2014

The dangers of texting are well-documented, from the embarrassing autocorrects to deadly car crashes. A Buffalo, N.Y. man discovered that one absent-minded text can hit you in your wallet – hard. Like to the tune of $53,000.

On July 1, 2012, Louis J. Billittier, Jr., 55, dumped his fiancée of three years, 31-year-old Christa M. Clark, over text only three months before their wedding. But to ease the blow, he added, "Plus you get a $50,000 parting ring. Enough for a down payment on a house." The ring in question is a white gold, 2.97-carat specimen of bling.

However, after warning Clark to cut off contact with his family, he demanded the ring back. "Keep it up, and I will take back the ring as well," he said.

And after the last straw, he messaged, "You by law have to give it back. You're nowhere near the person I thought you were. You don't deserve it."

The judge in the resulting civil case disagreed, saying that Billittier's text messages show that the ring was given after the engagement was broken off.

Watch those thumbs, readers. They can cost you.

H/T: Yahoo