婚礼取消了！订婚戒指归谁所有？

While breaking off an engagement may help a couple dodge a messy divorce, it doesn't always keep them out of the courtroom.

虽然解除婚约可能会帮助两个人避开离婚时的纠葛，但并不意味着他们不会法庭上见。

More than $5,000 is spent on the average engagement ring.

一般的订婚戒指都要花费5000美元以上。

And deciding who gets to keep the ring when the big day gets called off is such a hotly-contested issue that most states have laws governing its ownership.

确定谁在订婚取消后保有戒指是一个极具争议的问题，几乎每个州都有法律来规定它的所属权。

Some bitter lovers even take the case to court.

一些满腹怨怼的恋人甚至为此诉诸法庭。

Colette DiPierro, 31, thought her broken engagement was behind her when she learned that her ex-fiancé Christopher Reinhold was suing, demanding the return of her $17,500 diamond engagement ring.

Colette DiPierro， 31岁，在了解到前未婚夫Christopher Reinhold 上诉要求她归还价值1.75万美元的订婚戒指时，认为自己不是婚约取消的过错方。

They had dated for almost two years when Reinhold proposed in May 2009.

在恋爱了接近2年的时间后，Reinhold于2009年5月向她求婚。

But the couple began to fight, often about money, and they split four months later, said DiPierro, a physician assistant in Staten Island, N.Y.

但是后来，这对情侣开始经常因为钱而争吵，并在4个月后他们分开了，DiPierro 如是说。她在纽约州史德顿岛做一名医生助理。

The followingspring, he filed a lawsuit. 

第二年春天的时候，他提起了诉讼。

Reinhold and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

Reinhold和他的律师没有回应记者的置评请求。

Poll: Who do you think should keep the ring?

投票：你认为谁应该保有这枚戒指呢？

According to DiPierro, she held onto the ring because he hadn't repaid her for his share of $40,000 worth of living expenses.

DiPierro声称她不愿意还回戒指，是因为男方没有偿还他应付的价值4万美元的生活开销。

Their deal: she had paid for rent, food, car payments and other bills while Reinhold saved for the ring.

他们的约定：她支付房租、食物、车贷和其他账单，而Reinhold则攒钱买戒指。

"I helped him save so I felt that I was holding onto the ring for collateral," she said.

"我帮助了他存钱，所以我觉得有必要保留戒指作为抵偿，”她说。

Laws vary by state, but many consider the ring a "conditional gift" until the couple says "I do," -- meaning that regardless of who gets cold feet, the ring must be returned to the person who bought it, said Alton Abramowitz, a New York-based attorney and president of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

不同州的法律有所不同，但很多人认为戒指在情侣说“我愿意”之前都属于“有条件赠与”，--意思就是不管谁先临阵退缩，戒指都必须归还给购买的人，Alton Abramowitz是这样说的，他是总部位于纽约的美国婚姻律师协会的律师兼会长。