Evil? Yes. But it is rightly deserved and if the laws of her state entitle her to this type of action, I say she should go for it. She and her family deserve to be compensated.
And even more importantly, since news like this travels so fast, it will send a message to guys and their families that girls aren't going to take it anymore. I'm sick to death of hearing these stories where everything's all set and then some greedy guttersnipe and/or his greedy family are trying to get out of their Islamic responsibility by using such loathsome tactics.
I know it's not the done thing, but Muslim families seriously need to start putting this stuff in writing with signatures. There's nothing wrong with doing this...I mean when you look at it from a purely technical perspective, Islamic marriage is contractual, not sacramental. So why not take advantage of that fact and GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!!!
Sorry. I feel passionately about this. I can't tell you how many stories like this I hear on an almost daily basis. It makes me angry to no end.