In a recent case in Georgia an appeals court has ruled a man who broke his promise to marry his fiancé should pay her $50,000 in damages. Melissa Cooper was engaged to Christopher Ned Kelly. He had promised to marry her after they had maintained a relationship for ten years. When he failed to marry her, she sued him for breach of promise and fraud.
The couple had a child together. He gave Melissa an engagement ring. During the litigation, he stated he had never said to her “will you marry me?”. This was his defense. He claimed he just wanted to give her the ring but he didn’t really want to marry her. When Melissa found out Christopher was cheating on her, she initiated the lawsuit. At the trial, the court ordered Christopher to pay Melissa $50,000 and reimburse her for her attorney’s fees. He appealed the ruling to the Georgia Court of Appeals. The Georgia Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the lower court. The appeals court stated “Cooper testified she was devastated by Kelly’s fraud and breach of promise to marry and that she quit her job to raise the couple’s children in reliance on the promise.”
Conclusion
Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Elliot S. Schlissel is a divorce lawyer representing men and women in the Metropolitan New York area on divorce proceedings, custody matters , visitation cases , and all other marital related litigation.
