Stilk v Myrick

Stilk v Myrick (1809) is a legal case that addressed the issue of contract law and consideration. In this case, sailors were promised extra pay to complete a voyage after two crew members deserted. When the captain did not pay the extra money, the sailors sued. The court ruled that they were not entitled to the extra pay because they were already contractually obligated to perform the original journey. Simply fulfilling existing duties does not constitute valid consideration for a new promise, emphasizing that in contract law, both parties must provide something new or different for an agreement to be enforceable.