Legal Definitions - innominate obligations

Definition: Innominate obligations are obligations that do not have a specific name or classification because they are not strictly contractual, delictual, or quasi-contractual. An example of an innominate obligation is the obligation of a trustee to a beneficiary.

For instance, when a person is appointed as a trustee, they have a legal obligation to act in the best interest of the beneficiary. This obligation is not strictly contractual because it is not based on a formal agreement between the trustee and the beneficiary. It is also not delictual because it does not arise from a wrongful act or omission. Instead, it is an innominate obligation that arises from the relationship between the trustee and the beneficiary.

Another example of an innominate obligation is the duty of care that a doctor owes to their patient. This obligation is not strictly contractual because it is not based on a formal agreement between the doctor and the patient. It is also not delictual because it does not arise from a wrongful act or omission. Instead, it is an innominate obligation that arises from the relationship between the doctor and the patient.

These examples illustrate the concept of innominate obligations because they show that not all legal obligations fit neatly into the categories of contractual, delictual, or quasi-contractual. Instead, some obligations arise from the nature of the relationship between the parties involved.