On days like this, we’re all just nostalgic for the simple life. Sorry, The Simple Life.
Just yesterday, Paris Hilton’s reps confirmed to People that she had ended her engagement to actor Chris Zylka after 11 months. After we dried our tears, however, we couldn’t help but wonder. Uh, what about that ring?
The $2 million, 20 carat ring blinded us all back in January, when Hilton shared a video of Zylka proposing to her atop a mountain in Aspen. Now, post-split, TMZ reports that Zylka would like the sparkler back. But regardless of the salacious reports, there is a legal precedent for who is entitled to the ring after an engagement is terminated.
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According to The Law Offices of Bamieh & Erickson, it’s Zylka who gets to keep the ring if the engagement was ended in California — even if, as TMZ pointed out, it was Hilton’s jewelry connections that helped him get a screaming deal.
“The law states that when either party gives a gift that is made in contemplation of marriage, in the event that the receiver of the gift refuses to enter into the marriage, the giver of the gift may recover the gift or its value,” reads their site. To put it more simply, “if a man gives a woman an engagement ring and the woman calls off the marriage, the man is legally entitled to take back the ring.” It has been reported that Hilton instigated the split.
RELATED: Paris Hilton Splits with Fiancé Chris Zylka After 11-Month Engagement
Though California used to entitle the woman to keep the ring in the case that the man terminated the engagement, that is no longer the accepted case law, as the Golden State is now considered a “no-fault” state.
Hilton resides primarily in Los Angeles, though she owns a penthouse in New York as well — but that won’t make a difference here. The laws in New York are similar, as the engagement ring is seen as a “conditional” gift.
Considering Hilton’s successful career as a DJ, with regular gigs in Ibiza and Saint Tropez, not to mention her multi-billion dollar (yes, billion with a “b”) perfume business, we think she’ll be just fine.