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Glossary

Estoppel

common-law

A doctrine preventing a party from resiling from a position others have relied on.

In more detail

Common-law estoppel comes in several forms including promissory, proprietary and issue estoppel. Civil-law systems achieve similar outcomes through good faith and the prohibition on abuse of rights, which is one reason the concepts do not translate cleanly across traditions.

Related terms

  • good-faith
  • stare-decisis

See how this applies to you

Definitions are general. How a term operates depends on the jurisdiction you are in.