Estoppel in Russia: to the problem statement

Abstract

In view of the continuing interest of the legal community in the problem of the prohibition of contradictory behavior or in the Anglo-American tradition of law – estoppel, the subject of this study is an attempt to determine the legal nature of the so-called norms of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on estoppel. The topic chosen for the study becomes particularly relevant, since there is no consensus among representatives of legal science regarding the nature of estoppel; it is considered as an intersectoral principle, doctrine, institution of law, sanctions for violation of the principle of good faith, one of the manifestations of the principle of good faith, legal mechanism, etc. The author has attempted to consider estoppel from different angles: through the prism of English contract law (promissory estoppel), from the standpoint of the continental maxim "venire contra factum proprium", in relation to the principle of good faith. The research uses general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, a systematic approach; special legal methods (comparative legal, formal legal). As a result of the conducted research, we came to the following conclusions. The so-called norms of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation on estoppel are a special case of the doctrine of consistent behavior, known to the continental legal order by the maxim "venire contra factum proprium", which acts as a manifestation of the principle of good faith. Proceeding from this, it is incorrect to designate the above norms as estoppel, because, firstly, even in the Anglo–American tradition, the diversity of types of estoppel does not allow it to be considered as a universal principle, and, secondly, what is understood by estoppel in this system of law does not correspond to its Russian interpretation. In addition, being part of the Romano-Germanic legal family, the domestic legal order does not need to borrow alien legal phenomena, especially when similar legal constructions can not only be found in the depths of centuries, but also trace their evolution in the bosom of the continental legal system, to which Russia belongs.