Christopher Ned Kelley's non-marriage to Melissa Cooper is about to get even more expensive—for Kelley. The Georgia man has been ordered to fork over $50,000 after Cooper sued him for fraud and "breach of promise to marry" for popping the question, then failing to follow through on it.
Kelley and Cooper had been living together for four years when he proposed in 2004. The $10,000 engagement ring that he bought suggests he was serious about going through with it. They continued to live together with their child and another from Cooper's previous relationship until 2011, when Cooper learned that Kelley cheated on her again.
Feeling little sympathy for the woman who had quit her job to be a full-time mother, Kelley asked Cooper to move out. Cooper's response was the lawsuit, which she won and was awarded $50,000. Kelley appealed the decision, claiming their relationship was like "prostitution," which makes you wonder why he proposed to her in the first place. Look at how things worked out for Sam and Ginger in Casino.
Kelley explained that he "never initiated the concept of marriage with her, outside of giving her that ring," and because their relationship was "illegal," there's no way the promise to marry could be considered valid.
Judge Elizabeth Branch didn't buy it and Kelley was ordered to pay the $50,000. It probably would've been cheaper to keep her.
[via Gawker]
