Also known as: reasonably relies · reasonably relied · reasonably relying · reasonable reliance
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Reliance that satisfies an objective standard of what a reasonable person would place on the given information or conduct under the circumstances presented. The standard requires that the reliance be both subjectively genuine and objectively justifiable so that legal consequences such as liability, estoppel, or admissibility may attach.
A forensic toxicologist reviewed lab reports and industry studies that other experts in the field routinely consult even though some reports contain hearsay. The expert formed an opinion on causation and the court admitted the testimony because experts would reasonably rely on that type of data. The proponent did not need to introduce the underlying reports themselves.
The owner of the servient parcel built a permanent fence across the path after the easement holder had repeatedly ignored the path for years. The servient owner acted in reasonable reliance on the easement holder’s apparent abandonment. A court held the easement extinguished because the reliance was foreseeable and restoration would cause unreasonable harm.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
A buyer paid for and began constructing a home on land after the seller orally promised to convey title and continued to encourage the work. The buyer changed position substantially in reasonable reliance on the contract and the seller’s ongoing assent. A court ordered specific performance even though the statute of frauds was not satisfied.
A landowner allowed a neighbor to install a driveway across a corner of the lot and watched the neighbor spend substantial sums improving access. The neighbor changed position in reasonable reliance on the belief that permission would continue. The court imposed a servitude because injustice could be avoided only by recognizing the right.
Officers obtained a warrant that contained a clerical error in the address caused by the issuing judge. They executed the search in objectively reasonable reliance on the warrant’s facial validity. The court applied the good-faith exception and refused to suppress the evidence.
An engineer negligently assured a contractor that soil conditions were stable for excavation. The contractor reasonably relied on the statement and began digging without further testing. When the trench collapsed and injured a worker, the engineer was held liable for the harm that resulted from the reliance.
Reasonable reliance adds an objective component. A party must show both that it actually relied and that a reasonable person in the same position would have done so given the information or conduct presented.
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An expert may rely on inadmissible facts or data if experts in the field would reasonably rely on that type of information. The court then balances probative value against prejudice before allowing disclosure to the jury.
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No. The exception applies only when the officers’ reliance is objectively reasonable. Reliance is unreasonable if the warrant is facially deficient, the magistrate abandoned neutrality, or officers misled the issuing judge.
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The party must prove reasonable reliance on the contract and on the continuing assent of the other party, plus a change of position so substantial that injustice can be avoided only by specific enforcement.
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Yes, if the action is taken in reasonable reliance on the easement holder’s conduct, the easement holder could have foreseen that reliance, and restoring the easement would cause unreasonable harm.
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…principles? Each expert proffered by the plaintiffs assures us that he has "utiliz[ed] the type of data that is generally and reasonably relied upon by scientists" in the relevant field, see, e.g., Newman Aff. at 5, and that he has "utilized the methods and methodology that would generally and reasonably be accepted" by people who…