Conrad v. Fields
Minnesota Court of Appeals
No. A06-1387, 2007 WL 2106302 (July 24, 2007)
Walter Fields (defendant), a wealthy, known philanthropist, promised to pay Marjorie Conrad's (plaintiff) law-school tuition after she raised concerns about incurring debt; Conrad quit her $45,000 job and enrolled, and Fields paid tuition until an IRS audit froze his assets, after which he assured Conrad he would resume payment once she graduated and passed the bar, but ultimately refused. Conrad sued for negligence and breach of contract based on her reliance on his promises, and after a nonjury trial the court awarded her $87,314.63 in promissory estoppel; Fields appealed, arguing Conrad never pleaded or proved that theory.
Whether a promise that a promisor should reasonably expect to induce an action or forbearance on the part of the promisee, which does induce that action or forbearance, is binding on the promisor even if no actual contract existed.