Maffe v. Loranger

In 2015, Jay Maffe (plaintiff) proposed marriage to Heather Loranger (defendant). Maffe presented Loranger with a $132,000 engagement ring. On June 8, 2016, immediately before the civil marriage ceremony, Maffe informed Loranger that he would not marry without a prenuptial agreement. The couple postponed the ceremony and began negotiating an agreement. The negotiation lasted for two years, during which time the couple broke up and reconciled their relationship multiple times. In November 2018, Loranger permanently ended the relationship. Maffe filed an action against Loranger in Connecticut state court to recover the engagement ring. Maffe claimed that the ring was his property because he had given the ring to Loranger on the condition of marriage. Loranger claimed that she was entitled to the ring because their failure to marry was Maffe’s fault. Alternatively, Loranger asserted as a defense that the engagement ring had transformed into an unconditional, absolute gift. Loranger introduced into evidence a letter that Maffe had sent in which he admitted to causing the deterioration of their relationship because of his own insecurities. Maffe also admitted to being at fault during his testimony at trial. Loranger also introduced evidence that after the couple’s first breakup, Loranger offered to give Maffe the ring, but Maffe instructed her to keep it. The Connecticut Superior Court considered the case.