My husband and I are getting a divorce, but he says he'll only sign the divorce papers on the condition that I give him back the engagement ring. Is this legal?

I'm not sure if it's legal or not, but this guy sure is a jerkwad! Congratulations for giving him the boot, girlfren. As far as I know, when a couple gets divorced, the law lets the wife keep the engagement ring and wedding ring. The engagement and wedding rings are not considered marital property, because they were actually acquired before the wedding itself. I think the fact that he is demanding the ring back in return for signing the papers might be considered blackmail or coercion, and there is a chance that it is illegal. You should really ask a lawyer though, who will know for certain, and will also know whether there is anything you can do about it. I'd say save yourself all the legal hassles and just give the dude back the ring. Then he'll sign the divorce papers and everything will be just peachy. I mean, what do you want the engagement ring for anyway? You are probably not going to keep on wearing it, since you are not married anymore, and if you're just going to let it sit in your jewelry box, what good does it do anyway? I can imagine you don't want him to have the satisfaction of 'winning' and getting the engagement ring back, but why prolong the battle? Just show him that you don't care. Plus, if you were planning on holding on to the engagement ring hoping to get a little cash for it after your divorce, a diamond ring isn't as much of a cash cow as you might imagine. If you try to sell the ring to a jeweler, you will get less than half (even a lot less than half) of the amount that was paid for it. Kiss the few thousand goodbye and good riddance.

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