Legal Definitions - money had and received

Definition: Money Had and Received is a legal action by which a plaintiff can recover money paid to the defendant, usually because the money was paid by mistake or under compulsion, or the consideration was insufficient.

Example: If a person accidentally pays their rent twice, they can bring an action for money had and received to recover the extra payment from their landlord.

Explanation: In this example, the person paid their rent twice by mistake, and the landlord received the extra payment. The person can bring an action for money had and received to recover the extra payment because it was paid by mistake and the landlord did not have a legal right to keep it.