Who Keeps the Engagement Ring When the Wedding Is Called Off?

March 2, 2010 — -- Some say a diamond is forever, but if you're dumped before you make it to the altar, the ring may not be yours to keep after all.

New Yorker Rena Friedman is the latest bride-to-be, according to published reports, who has had the man she was supposed to marry take her to court over the very engagement ring he gave her when he proposed late last year.

In Friedman's case, the diamond and platinum bling is worth $58,000, and according to the New York Post, her ex-fiance, Roger Adler, wants it back, alleging that Friedman always intended to dump him before they walked down the aisle.

Adler, who is an ophthalmologist, in Ohio, did not return multiple messages left by ABCNews.com, but told the paper that Friedman refused to return the ring even though the engagement only lasted 12 days. He also alleges, according to the Post, that Friedman lied about her age and that he suspects she has duped other men in the past into proposing to her so that she could keep the ring for herself.

Friedman also did not return messages left at her New York City home.

Friedman's lawyer, Mark Nussbaum of Altman Schochet LLP, released a statement on behalf of his client.

"Roger Adler seems unconstrained by the truth in his recent remarks to the media," said Nussbaum. "His penchant for revisionist history will be addressed in the proper forum. While Mr. Adler has chosen to enjoy his 15 seconds of fame disparaging a former girlfriend in the public spotlight, Ms. Friedman has no desire to air her personal heartache in tabloid articles or television shows."

Legal experts saidthe dispute over who gets to keep the ring when an engagement goes sour is more common than one might think and that the law governing these so-called "conditional gifts" varies from state to state.

According to Joanna Grossman, a professor of law at Hofstra University, the majority of states view an engagement ring as a conditional gift that hinges on a marriage taking place.

"If the condition of the gift fails, or in the case if the engagement is called off, the gift has to be returned," Grossman said.