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Promises, Promises |
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by
LawDotNews
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Published
2009/02/02 12:00:00 AM
(Viewed
661
times) |
Don’t promise to marry someone lightly – such a promise gives rise to an enforceable engagement contract, and if you breach it without sufficient justification, you could be in for substantial damages claims – not just for any monetary loss, but also for consequences such as wounded feelings, embarrassment and humiliation.
Until 1838 you could have been forced to proceed with the marriage, so perhaps a monetary penalty isn’t so bad after all! But the point is that an engagement and promise to marry is not just a personal and romantic occurrence – it has legal consequences, and - as illustrated by a recent High Court award of R282.413 in damages to a jilted fiancée - those consequences are still very much a part of our modern law.
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