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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Merrill doctrine
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A quick definition of Merrill doctrine:
The Merrill Doctrine is a rule that says the government cannot be held responsible for something an agent did without permission. This means that if someone who works for the government does something they weren't supposed to do, the government can say they didn't approve of it and can't be blamed for it. The rule comes from a court case called Federal Crop Ins. Corp. v. Merrill, which was decided in 1947.
A more thorough explanation:
The Merrill Doctrine is a principle that states that the government cannot be held responsible for the unauthorized actions of its agents. This means that if a government agent does something that they were not authorized to do, the government cannot be held accountable for their actions.
For example, if a government employee makes a promise to a citizen that the government cannot fulfill, the citizen cannot sue the government for breach of contract. This is because the government cannot be held responsible for the unauthorized actions of its employees.
The Merrill Doctrine was established in the case of Federal Crop Ins. Corp. v. Merrill, where the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not be estopped from disavowing an agent's unauthorized act.