David Lowman and Sarah Martino had a tumultuous 14-year romance in which they intermittently lived together. When Lowman was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, Martino cared for him and put him on her health insurance plan. Their relationship was at its peak when Lowman proposed to Martino with a $15,000 engagement ring on Valentine’s Day.

But five years later, the relationship was on the rocks – and Lowman was dying. Martino told Lowman that she would not marry him, rarely visited him, and threatened to revoke his health insurance. Lowman tried contacting her 10 to 15 times, but she refused to return his calls, much less the ring.

Lowman sued Martino for the return of the engagement ring. When he died, his estate took over as plaintiff. It argued that the ring was a gift conditioned upon a marriage, which n ever happened.

Questions:

1. Was Martino entitled to keep the engagement ring?

2. Had the state of Rhode Island ever had a case like this before?

3. Did the court believe Ms. Martino when she said she should keep the ring because the engagement was still on at the time of Lowman’s death?

4. What did the court decide? What rule of law did it adopt?

5. What options was Ms. Martino given?