Opinion ID: 1387200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: breach of promise to marry

Text: The first issue before us is whether the common law action for breach of promise to marry has any legal significance today. This action first arose over four hundred years ago to provide a remedy for persons who had spent money in reliance on another's promise of marriage which was later recanted. See, e.g., Appilgarth v. Sergeantson, 1 Cal. Ch. XLI (1438); 1 Homer H. Clark, Jr., The Law of Domestic Relations § 1 (1987). It is generally agreed that at that time, the predominant view of marriage as an economic transaction was the rationale for the cause of action; it did not arise as a remedy for damaged sentiment. Id. However, as Professor Clark has further noted, By the twentieth century ... American marriage customs had so changed as to be totally unlike those prevailing when breach of promise first became actionable. Id. Therefore, we must decide whether this action has any place in our current jurisprudence. When this court finds a common law cause of action to be anomalous, unworkable, or contrary to public policy, it will abolish the action. See, e.g., Norton v. Macfarlane, 818 P.2d 8, 16-17 (Utah 1991) (abolishing action for criminal conversation); Hackford v. Utah Power & Light Co., 740 P.2d 1281, 1286 (Utah 1987) (abolishing action for loss of consortium). Therefore, if breach of promise to marry is found to be unworkable or contrary to public policy, this court has the power to abolish the action. It is certainly the policy of the state to uphold marriage vows. However, we see no benefit in discouraging or penalizing persons who realize, before making these vows, that for whatever reason, they are unprepared to take such an important step. Plaintiff in this case concedes that if we were to uphold the action, any time an engaged party were to cancel wedding plans for any reason, the other party would have a prima facie case for breach of promise to marry. Such an action would be highly susceptible to abuse by persons whose feelings are damaged by a former fiancee's decision to cancel a wedding. In Norton, we held that actions so manipulable and vulnerable to this type of abuse are counterproductive to the good of the state. Norton, 818 P.2d at 17. An action which would accrue any time a person, for whatever reason, cancels or indefinitely postpones wedding plans is contrary to the public policy of this state. Not only would such an action be readily amenable to abuse, but it would discourage individuals with legitimate doubts or concerns about a planned wedding from cancelling the event. Encouraging people to marry out of fear of a lawsuit furthers no legitimate purpose and would undoubtedly cause many problems. We also note that the alleged injuries Jackson seeks to remedy through this action are all emotional rather than economic in nature. The losses complained of are pride, love, and esteem. Brown argues that an action developed to remedy the economic losses resulting from the withdrawal of a marriage promise cannot be used in this day and age to redress the emotional losses that follow. We agree. Although emotional damages are often actionable, breach of promise to marry is not the proper vehicle for that purpose. In reaching this determination, we note first that no injury to a plaintiff, upon proper showing, goes unremedied. As noted above, any economic losses suffered because of Jackson's reasonable reliance upon Brown's promise to marry her (such as normal expenses attendant to a wedding) may be recoverable under a theory of reasonable reliance or breach of contract. Second, and as discussed more fully below, if a proper case is made out, emotional damages resulting from Brown's actions may be remedied by an action for intentional infliction of emotional distress. Accordingly, no fundamental remedy is lost to this or any other plaintiff by our decision that breach of a promise to marry no longer has any legal significance. We therefore hold that no independent action may be maintained in this jurisdiction that is based upon breach of a promise to marry. Although the trial court correctly recognized that the action had been upheld in this jurisdiction over fifty years ago, in light of modern customs and jurisprudence we now abolish the cause of action in this state.