Contracts
Quasi-Contract
Definition
A quasi-contract (or contract implied in law) is not a true contract but a legal fiction imposed by courts to prevent unjust enrichment when one party confers a benefit on another without a formal agreement. The remedy is restitution — the party who conferred the benefit may recover its reasonable value (quantum meruit). Quasi-contractual recovery is available even when the parties did not intend to contract, and it serves as an equitable backstop.
Example
A doctor renders emergency medical services to an unconscious accident victim. Although no contract exists, the doctor may recover the reasonable value of the services on a quasi-contractual theory.