Decisions From Above

The name of the case of interest is Hamer v. Sidway, which involved a nephew and an uncle who disagreed based on an agreement made. Kluwers (2017) states that the uncle died before fulfilling a promise made to the nephew in front of many people in a wedding. A promise of $5,000 was made to the nephew if he managed to restrain from behaviors such as drinking alcohol, swearing, and playing cards for money. He was to be given the promised amount of money if he restrained from such activities until he was twenty-one years. When the nephew attained 21 years, he wrote to the uncle requesting for the money, but the uncle turned down this request stating that the nephew named Willie was not yet ready to manage all promised money effectively. The uncle wrote back stating that Willie had to wait until he reached an age where he would be in a position to effectively manage the money. Moreover, he agreed to pay all the money with accrued interest. Twelve years later, the uncle died without transferring the money to the nephew who led to breaking of a promise made in front of many people in a wedding. Willie sued the executor of the uncle’s estate as a way of seeking his promise being fulfilled. The court ruled that the nephew should be paid since he had performed all conditions imposed in the promise (Kluwers, 2017). The order was reversed, and the cost was expected to be paid from an amount deducted from the uncle’s estate.

The court played a role in policy changes since it seemed to support some of the youths’ habits, which are against the law. As such, juvenile delinquency and drug abuse are some of the behavioral aspects of the society that are not only supported by the public but also the government. Drug abuse is frequently associated with crime hence most policies such as apprehending and presenting the offenders to juvenile law courts are some of the already enacted law courts (Muncie, 2014). In addition, use of treatment methods such as rehabilitation facilities and managing the parents to oversee the welfare of affected juveniles are among the stated policies in law courts. The court ruling seemed to be against the policy of preventing juvenile delinquency and drug abuse since it ruled in support of Willie who was indulging in activities that were against the enacted policies. The promise that he made in front of his uncle ensured that Willie halted his bad behavior such as underage alcohol indulgence and playing cards for money. As such, the uncle took this step in good faith to protect Willie from engaging in activities that were against the policies. Therefore, the court was expected to rule in favor of the uncle who not only helped Willie avoid drug abuse but also engaging in drug abuse.

Willie’s uncle made a promise to Willie if he quitted his un-recommendable behavior, he would award him with $5,000 (Kluwers, 2017). This promise was made out of good will since his uncle did not benefit in any way whether Willie stopped his behavior or not. Based on the case, the court ruled fairly because the uncle made Willie quit his constitutional rights and failed to compensate him. However, there was no written promise and the uncle aimed at making the decision in favor to the government policy and public will. Therefore, the court may be seen to have ruled unfairly. Based on this case, I have learned that policy changes can be indirectly supported in law courts due to the case presented. As such, it is vital to thoroughly evaluate a case and pick on a solution that best suits most parties involved in the case as argued in utilitarianism theory.

 

References

Kluwers, W. (2017). Hamer v. Sidway Casebriefs. Casebriefs.com. Retrieved from http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/contracts/contracts-keyed-to-knapp/enforcing-promises-bases-of-legal-obligation/hamer-v-sidway-2/

Muncie, J. (2014). Youth and crime. New Castle: Sage.

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