Romance and Dating, Small Law Firms, Texas, Weddings, You Go Girl

What Happens When You Get Engaged Too Soon? You Get Sued

Here we have the case of a doctor and a hot blonde who got engaged after knowing each other for only five months. That was probably mistake number one. But hey, he liked it and he put a ring on it -- a four-carat ring, in fact. Now, diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but contrary to the title of that James Bond movie, they aren't forever. They broke up about a month after they got engaged. It looks like the doctor took the break-up really hard, because he sued five days later....

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Everyone knows that being engaged is kind of like test-driving a car.

If you discover that the fancy car you’ve chosen to take out on the road doesn’t turn left, then you probably don’t want to buy that car. Similarly, if the fancy man you’ve chosen (a doctor, ooh la la) breaks up with you, tries to woo you back with expensive gifts, and then sues you, then you probably don’t want to marry that man.

And when something like this happens in Texas, it’s like watching a real-life episode of Dallas unfold before your eyes….

Apparently now that I’m engaged, I get to write about all of the crazy engagement and wedding lawsuits out there. I love juicy wedding gossip, so I don’t mind at all. I mean really, I watched Kim Kardashian’s eleventy billion dollar wedding extravaganza last night, so this craziness is just as fabulous, but on a legal level.

Here we have the case of a doctor, Craig Fischer, and a hot blonde, Nichole Johnson, who got engaged after knowing each other for only five months. That was probably mistake number one. But hey, he liked it and he put a ring on it — a four-carat ring, in fact. Now, diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but contrary to the title of that James Bond movie, they aren’t forever. Fischer and Johnson broke up about a month after they got engaged.

It looks like Fischer took the break-up really hard, because he sued five days later. Fischer wanted the 4.06-carat ring back, along with $75,000. According to the Houston Chronicle, Fischer says that Johnson’s “got a great job and makes a lot of money,” but his suit (available here) claims that she was just using him as a sugar daddy. Which is it?

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No wonder Johnson didn’t want to marry this guy. He seems a little too wishy-washy. But Fischer’s indecisiveness didn’t end there. After he reportedly leaked news of the lawsuit to the media, Fischer whined that this was a “personal matter,” and he wanted to “preserve the privacy of [him]self and Ms. Johnson.”

I guess Fischer didn’t appreciate the fact that Johnson’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, leaked the couple’s post-break-up text messages to the media. (Not to mention the fact that Johnson’s answer and counterclaim made Fischer out to be as unstable as they come.)

In the end, in this battle of he said/she said, it looks like she won. You go girl. Fischer has dropped his suit, and offered this “explanation” to the Houston Chronicle:

I apologize for filing a lawsuit against Nichole Johnson. It was a big mistake on my part. I was wrong and should have never done it. I am immediately dropping the case and will pay Nichole $100,000 as attorney’s fees. I also want to thank Nichole’s attorneys for helping me understand the mistake I made. Again, I am sorry. I will have no further comment.

Wow. I wonder about the kind of dirt Johnson has on this guy that would make him elicit such a response. (If any of you have some thoughts on this, please email us.)

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Not only is he publicly apologizing for suing her in the first place, but he’s praising her lawyer for helping him to understand “the mistake” he made — a mistake that apparently cost $100K in legal fees in less than a month. All may be fair in love and war, but this guy sounds like he’s trying to avoid a mob hit.

It just goes to show that sometimes “a beer and some bro-time” — not a lawsuit — can solve all of your relationship problems.

Fischer v. Johnson: Complaint [Harris County District Court]
Fischer v. Johnson: Answer and Counterclaim [Harris County District Court]
Houston surgeon suing to get ring back from ex-fiancée [Houston Chronicle]
Ex-fiancee tried to return ring, lawyer says [Houston Chronicle]
Doctor drops ring lawsuit, vows to pay ex $100,000 [Houston Chronicle]
Surgeon Sues Former Fiancee for $73K Engagement Ring [ABC News]

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