Editing Breach of promise (section)

==Determining damages==
Damages were generally permitted for expenses incurred on the expectation of a marriage, such as property transferred or wedding expenses.<ref name=Reform />  In some jurisdictions, emotional distress, loss of social standing, and loss of virginity were also possible sources of damages.<ref name=Reform />

Some countries also allowed the woman to sue for loss of future income, that is, for money that she would have had, if her very wealthy fiancé had not broken off the engagement.  In 20th-century reforms, this was generally abolished over fears of [[Gold digger|gold digging]].<ref name=Reform />

One challenge in settling disputes for breach of promise was determining whether a [[gift]] made during the engagement was an absolute gift—one given permanently, with no strings attached—or a conditional gift, given in the expectation of the marriage taking place.  If an engagement gift was given on a holiday, such as [[Valentine's Day]] or [[Christmas]], the gift could be considered to be non-contingent, and given partially for reasons other than marriage, and thus does not have to be returned.  Christmas presents are generally taken to be absolute gifts, and thus cannot be recovered if the engagement dissolves, but [[engagement ring]]s are generally taken to be conditional gifts, at least under most circumstances, which means that they must be returned if the recipient no longer chooses to go through with the marriage.<ref name=Reform />  Whether an engagement ring must be returned if the giver breaks off the engagement varies.<ref name=Reform />