Estoppal

/ɛˈstɒpəl/ adjective

Definition

Relating to or affected by estoppel, a legal principle that prevents someone from arguing something in court that contradicts what they said or did before.

Etymology

From estop + -al suffix. Estop comes from Old French estopper (to stop up, block), from es- (out) + topper (to stop). The -al suffix makes it an adjective describing something related to estoppel.

Kelly Says

Estoppel is one of law's most elegant ideas: if you let someone rely on your words or actions, you can't suddenly change your story and hurt them. It's essentially the legal system saying 'honesty matters, and consistency matters even more.'

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