Illegal consideration
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 24 U.S. 258 - Armstrong v. Toler · 1826Most cited · 254 citing opinions
no recovery
no action can be maintained on a contract, the consideration of which is either wicked in itself, or prohibited by law.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Illegal consideration”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “Illegal consideration” — 443 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1826–1851
The common law maxims are ex turpi causa, non oritur actio—ex dolo malo non oritur actio. It prohibits every thing which is unjust or contra bonos mores. The object of all law is to repress vice and to promote the general welfare of society; and it does not give its assistance to a person to enforce a demand, originating in his breach or violation of its principles and enactments. Contracts in violation of statutes are void; and they are so whether the consideration to be performed or the act to be done be a violation of the statute.