What is the Doctrine of Estoppel primarily concerned with?

The Doctrine of Estoppel is primarily concerned with preventing contradictory claims based on prior conduct. This legal principle ensures that individuals or entities cannot unreasonably contradict previous statements or behaviors when another party has relied on those statements or actions to their detriment. In essence, if one party has engaged in a certain conduct that led another party to form a reasonable expectation, the first party is "estopped" or prevented from changing their position later, especially if such a change would harm the other party.

For example, if someone has indicated that they will not enforce a particular right or has acted in a way that leads another to believe that a right will not be enforced, that person cannot later change their mind and enforce that right if the other party acted based on those prior indications.

This doctrine promotes fairness and consistency in legal dealings, creating a reliance interest that protects individuals from unexpected changes in another’s position after they have acted on that reliance.