C & K Engineering Contractors v. Amber Steel Co.: Promissory Estoppel and the Right to Trial by Jury in California

Authors

Gary Shapiro

Abstract

Even if a plaintiff seeks money damages, there is no right to trial by jury in an action based' on the doctrine of promissory estoppel, the California Supreme Court ruled in C&K Engineering Contractors v. Amber Steel Co. The author disputes the court's holding that promissory estoppel is an equitable doctrine and contends that in determining the right to trial by jury a promissory estoppel action should be regarded as a contract action. The Note examines the current status of the right to trial by jury in California and sides with the C&K dissent in arguing that under the California Constitution trial by jury should be a matter of right whenever money damages a re sought by a plaintiff.

Recommended Citation

Gary Shapiro, C & K Engineering Contractors v. Amber Steel Co.: Promissory Estoppel and the Right to Trial by Jury in California, 31 Hastings L.J. 697 (1980).
Available at: https://repository.uclawsf.edu/hastings_law_journal/vol31/iss3/5