Legal Definitions - plea in estoppel

A plea in estoppel is a legal defense that prevents a person from denying something they previously said or did. This defense is used when someone has relied on the person's previous statement or action and would be harmed if the person were allowed to deny it.

For example, if a landlord tells a tenant that they can have a pet in their apartment and the tenant signs a lease based on that statement, the landlord cannot later evict the tenant for having a pet. The landlord is estopped from denying the tenant's right to have a pet because the tenant relied on the landlord's statement.

Another example is if a person signs a contract agreeing to pay for a service and then later tries to deny that they agreed to pay. The person is estopped from denying the agreement because the other party relied on their promise to pay.