© 2026 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace St.
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Differing shades of blue wavering throughout the image
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Breakup Text Is Evidence In Engagement Ring Lawsuit

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. If you're planning to break up with someone and you want your stuff back, it's probably best to have the conversation IRL. That is text message shorthand for In Real Life. A Buffalo judge ruled that a woman can keep her engagement ring after her former fiance broke things off with a text.

The message was used as evidence because the man wrote, jokingly or not, that the woman can keep the $50,000 parting ring. It's enough, he added, for a down payment on a house. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.