Hayes v. Plantations Steel Co.
Supreme Court of Rhode Island
438 A.2d 1091 (1982)
- Written by Megan Petersen, JD
Facts
Edward Hayes (plaintiff) worked for Plantations Steel Co. (Plantations) (defendant) for 25 years. In 1972 he decided to retire at age 65. Upon his retirement announcement, Hayes met with Hugo Mainelli, an officer of Plantations. Mainelli told Hayes that Plantations “would take care” of him, but they did not sign a formal pension agreement, nor did Mainelli mention any dollar amount. Each year from 1973 to 1976, Plantations paid Hayes $5,000 “as a token of appreciation for the many years of [his] service.” It was implied that the payments would continue annually, and Hayes did not look for other employment after his retirement. In 1976, the Mainelli family ceded control of Plantations, and the new ownership ceased payments to Hayes. Hayes brought suit against Plantations, arguing that his decision to retire constituted consideration for Plantations's promise to pay him a pension, or in the alternative that he was entitled to the pension under the theory of promissory estoppel. The trial court ruled in favor of Hayes. Plantations appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Shea, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 788,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,200 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
