"Estoppel" Pronounce,Meaning And Examples

"Estoppel" Meaning

Estoppel is a legal doctrine that states that someone who has acted in a way that contradicts their previous statements or actions cannot later deny or contradict them. It is often used to prevent someone from changing their position or arguing the opposite of what they previously stated, especially in cases where this would cause harm or injustice to others. Estoppel can be used to bar a person from denying a fact, admitting a fact, or asserting a right that they earlier denied or refused to acknowledge. The doctrine is often used to resolve disputes and establish the truth in situations where there is a conflict or disagreement.

"Estoppel" Examples

Estoppel Examples

Example 1:

After six months of living together, John and Mary decided to get married. However, John's wife, Helen, claimed that she was still legally married to him and asked for a divorce. Since John had led Helen to believe that their marriage was deceased, the court applied the doctrine of equitable estoppel to prevent John from denying their marriage and forcing Helen to divorce him.

Example 2:

A customer signed a contract with a company, agreeing to buy a car from them. However, the company failed to mention that the car had a faulty transmission. When the customer discovered the issue, they sued the company for breach of contract. The court applied the doctrine of estoppel to prevent the company from denying the existence of the defect, as they had knowingly concealed the information from the customer.

Example 3:

A company hired a new employee, Emma, who had previously worked for a competitor. Emma's new employer had a non-disclosure agreement that required her to keep confidential any trade secrets from her previous job. When Emma moved to the new company, her previous employer claimed that Emma had breached their contract by revealing their secrets. The court applied estoppel to prevent the previous employer from enforcing the contract due to Emma's reasonable reliance on the new employer's agreement.

Example 4:

A city council passed a law banning the construction of new houses on the riverbank. However, a wealthy developer built a large mansion on the riverbank, claiming that the law did not apply to his property. The city argued that the developer was estopped from building on the riverbank, as he had signed a contract agreeing to adhere to the law and had previously argued in favor of its passage.

Example 5:

A friend, Mark, borrowed $5,000 from his sister, Sarah, to start a business. When the business failed, Sarah asked Mark to return the loan. Mark claimed that he had never agreed to pay her back, and Sarah had simply lent him the money because she wanted to help. The court applied estoppel to prevent Mark from denying their agreement, as Sarah had reasonably relied on Mark's promise to pay her back and had changed her behavior to disadvantage herself as a result.