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Dalhousie Law Journal

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Reforming Testamentary Undue Influence In Canadian And English Law, Fiona R. Burns Oct 2006

Reforming Testamentary Undue Influence In Canadian And English Law, Fiona R. Burns

Dalhousie Law Journal

The traditional doctrine of testamentary undue influence developed in nineteenth century England. Its utility, however, is limited since the doctrine requires the person alleging undue influence to provide direct proof of coercion according to a high standard. In England the doctrine has remained static and there have been calls for reform. In Canada, some courts have ceased to apply the traditional doctrine so that today there is no one consistent and coherent doctrine of testamentary undue influence. This article explores two possible reforms of the doctrine both of which are evident in recent Canadian case law: a presumption of testamentary …


Consideration And Estoppel: Problem And Panacea, Bruce Macdougall Oct 1992

Consideration And Estoppel: Problem And Panacea, Bruce Macdougall

Dalhousie Law Journal

In his book, The History of the Common Law of Contract, A.W.B. Simpson demonstrates that consideration originally seems to have meant the "matter of inducement" - the "why" of entering a promise.' He writes: "The essence of the doctrine of consideration, then, is the adoption by the common law of the idea that the legal effect of a promise should depend upon the factor or factors which motivated the promise. To decide whether a promise to do X is binding, you need to know why the promise was made."2 In modem terms, according to Simpson, a promise which lacks any …