⚠️ A procedural false friend… often misunderstood
The word estoppel has no direct equivalent in French. Some inexperienced translators mistakenly render it as « arrêt » or « suspension ». In reality, estoppel is an equitable rule of common law that prevents a party from contradicting itself to the detriment of another.
👉 It is closer to a form of préclusion or fin de non-recevoir: it sanctions inconsistent or bad faith conduct.
⚖️ In Law: Not Contradicting Oneself to the Detriment of Others
There are several types of estoppel in common law, including:
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Estoppel by representation: when one party has made a statement on which the other reasonably relied.
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Proprietary estoppel: in the context of property rights.
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Promissory estoppel: when a promise, even without contractual force, has been relied upon by the other party.
In all cases, the principle remains the same: a party cannot renounce a previous position if doing so would prejudice the party who relied on it.
Examples:
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The court held that the defendant was estopped from denying the agreement
→ Le tribunal a jugé que le défendeur ne pouvait nier l’accord, en raison d’une préclusion
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Promissory estoppel prevents the party from going back on its promise
→ L’estoppel promissoire empêche une partie de revenir sur sa promesse
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The claimant relied on the representation, and the defendant is now estopped
→ Le demandeur s’est fié à la déclaration, et le défendeur est désormais irrecevable à la contester
🧾 Contexts of Use
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droit des contrats (non-enforceable promises)
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contentieux civil ou commercial
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conflits de propriété, contradictory legal actions
✅ In Summary
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Estoppel = a mechanism of equity preventing inconsistent or contradictory conduct.
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Not to be confused with: arrêt, suspension, pause.
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A powerful legal tool to prevent abuse or harmful reversals of position.
📌 TransLex Advice
Before translating estoppel, ask yourself:
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Is one party trying to deny a past promise or position?
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Did the other party act in reliance on it?
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Is the court invoking a principle of equity or of coherent behavior?
👉 In legal contexts, estoppel = sanction against contradictory conduct, not a simple arrêt.
👉 It is an equity-based mechanism to ensure fairness in civil and commercial disputes.
