Edwards v Skyways [1964] 1 WLR 349 Court of Appeal

The claimant was an airline pilot working for the defendant. He was to be made redundant. The defendants said that if he withdrew his contributions to the company pension fund, they would pay him the equivalent of company contributions in an ex gratia payment. The claimant agreed to this and withdrew his contributions. The company then ran into further financial difficulty and went back on their promise relating to the ex gratia payment.

Held:

The agreement had been made in a business context which raised a strong presumption that the agreement is legally binding. The claimant could therefore enforce the agreement and was entitled to the money.

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