Hochster v De La Tour

Hochster v De La Tour is a landmark contract law case from 1853. It involves a situation where one party (Hochster) was hired by another (De La Tour) to work, but De La Tour canceled the contract before the start date. Hochster then sought damages for breach of contract. The court ruled that Hochster could sue for damages immediately, even though the work had not yet started. This case established that a party can claim for breach of contract as soon as one party indicates they will not fulfill their obligations, rather than waiting until the contract performance is due.