Enforcing Family Promises: Reliance, Reciprocity, and Relational Contract

Authors

Melanie B. Leslie, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawFollow

Publication Date

1-1999

Journal

North Carolina Law Review

Abstract

Courts are willing, in commercial contexts, to enforce promises even without consideration when enforcement supports a norm of reciprocity-a norm which recognizes that promises are seldom totally gratuitous, but are often made in furtherance of reciprocal, long-term, trust-based relationships. In this article, Professor Leslie argues that relational contract principles are firmly embedded in wills law. Courts enforce the reciprocity norm in the family context just as they do in commercial contexts; this enforcement is seen, however, not in breach of promise suits, which occur rarely between family members, but rather in will contests. Despite the prevalent ideology of wills law, in which the testator's intent is paramount, Professor Leslie argues that courts bend doctrinal rules to validate wills that comply with the reciprocity norm and to invalidate those that do not. Finally, Professor Leslie examines whether courts are justified in implicitly reinforcing the norm. She concludes that implicit enforcement rewards family members who have relied on trust, while avoiding commodification that might occur at the margins if the enforcement rule were made explicit.

Volume

77

Issue

2

First Page

551

Last Page

636

Publisher

North Carolina Law Review Association

Keywords

equal protection, federalism, political theories, political ideologies, immigrants, Wills

Disciplines

Constitutional Law | Contracts | Estates and Trusts | Fourth Amendment | Law

Recommended Citation

Melanie B. Leslie, Enforcing Family Promises: Reliance, Reciprocity, and Relational Contract, 77 N.C. L. Rev. 551 (1999).
https://larc.cardozo.yu.edu/faculty-articles/817