Question

Sunday afternoon Ralph has promised to pay Joseph $4500 if Joseph paints ralphs house beginning on Tuesday morning on Monday Joseph goes to the store and buys the paint and painting supplies. When he shows up on Tuesday to paint Ralph's house Ralph has put up a fence around the house making it impossible for Joseph to paint the house. Joseph can sue Ralph for breach of contract and recover his losses under the theory of

Answer 1

Joseph may sue Ralph for breach of contract under promissory estoppel because he incurred expenses based on Ralph's promise, which Ralph later prevented from being fulfilled by building a fence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to a scenario where Ralph has promised to pay Joseph to paint his house, but then subsequently prevents Joseph from fulfilling the contract by erecting a fence. In this case, Joseph may sue Ralph for breach of contract under the legal doctrine of promissory estoppel, which protects a party who reasonably relied on the promisor's pledge when that reliance results in a substantial economic loss. Since Joseph already incurred expenses by purchasing paint and supplies in reliance on Ralph's promise, he can argue that Ralph's actions have caused him a financial loss.