What legal principle prevents a party from contradicting their prior actions?

• A. Precedent
• B. Estoppel
• C. Jurisdiction
• D. Litigation

Answer: (B)

The correct answer relates to the principle of estoppel, which is a fundamental legal doctrine that prevents a party from arguing something contrary to a claim that they previously made, especially if that prior claim has been relied upon by others. This principle ensures consistency in legal proceedings and protects the integrity of the legal process by holding parties accountable for their past statements and actions.

Estoppel essentially serves to uphold fairness in legal relationships by not allowing individuals to change positions to the detriment of another party who may have relied on the original stance. For example, if a person acted in a particular manner based on a representation made by another party, the second party cannot later contradict that representation if it would harm the first party's reliance on it.

The other options, while related to aspects of law, do not embody the same focus on preventing contradictions based on past actions. Precedent refers to previous legal decisions that inform future cases, jurisdiction pertains to the authority of a court to hear a case, and litigation describes the process of taking legal action. None of these concepts directly address the issue of contradicting previous actions or statements in the same way that estoppel does.