Don't Put a Ring on It
Former Texans star and ex-fiancée settle nasty lawsuit over $785,000 engagement ring
Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams has settled a lawsuit he filed against his former fiancée in an attempt to retrieve a $785,000 engagement ring, according to a statement released Thursday. Williams — the Houston Texans first pick in the 2006 NFL draft — filed the lawsuit last May in Harris County Court against ex-fiancée Erin Marzouki when she refused to return the 10-carat diamond engagement ring he gave her in February 2012.
In his lawsuit, Williams, 28, alleged that Marzouki had no intention of marrying him and accused her of taking the ring and using the relationship to get to his money.
Williams filed the lawsuit just over a year after the couple happily posed for pictures in the Bills' media room when he was signed to a six-year, $100 million contract with the team — the largest contract ever awarded to an NFL defensive player.
Details of the settlement, such as who gets to keep the ring or gets to keep money from its sale, have not been released.
In her countersuit, Marzouki called Williams' claims "ridiculous" and "patently false." She said Williams made it "abundantly clear in writing" that he wanted her to keep the ring following the last of their many breakups in December 2012.
In spite of their volatile relationship, the couple announced in a joint statement on Thursday that they have settled their differences.
"Mr. Williams apologizes for initiating the lawsuit," said the statement released by the Buzbee Law Firm. "Ms. Marzouki did not deserve the media backlash she received as a result of the lawsuit, because it in no way describes her good character. Mr. Williams believes that Ms. Marzouki is a great person, and he regrets how their engagement ended. Ms. Marzouki regrets that, after the lawsuit was filed, certain text messages were released by her lawyer without her knowledge that were taken out of context by the media. Ms. Marzouki believes that the media reports do not reflect the good character of Mr. Williams."
Details of the settlement, such as who gets to keep the ring, described as "a GIA certified radiant cut diamond weighing 10.04 carats, E color grade, and VS2 clarity grade," purchased from Valobra Master Jewelers, or gets to keep money from its sale, have not been released. Representatives for the Buzbee Law Firm said that they would make no additional comments besides the statement released.
