estoppel

[Wallaby]

what is estoppel?

[larabell]

It's a legal term - a fancy way of saying "stop". An estoppel is a sort of bar which prevents someone from denying a fact that has already been determined in an official proceeding. For example if a Sue wins a paternity suit against Bob which decides he is the father, Bob is "estopped" from claiming he is't the father in any future cases - such as petitions for child support.