In the United States, most states repealed breach-of-promise laws or limited them, beginning in 1935.
In Contract as Promise: A Theory oJ Contractual Obligation, Charles Fried argues that the moral basis of contract law is lodged in the promise principle, "that principle by which persons may impose on themselves obli- gations where none existed before" (p. 1).
The short answer is yes, you may have a claim for someone who broke a promise to you. Now, depending on the nature of that promise, we may have different types of the cause of action that could be brought. The most common that I see is a breach of contract.
Thus, a promise may be enforceable to the extent that the promisee has incurred substantial costs, or conferred benefits, in reasonable reliance on the promise. Promissory estoppel under Section 90 of the Restatement of Contracts is the primary enforcement mechanism when action in reliance follows the promise.
Thus, a promise may be enforceable to the extent that the promisee has incurred substantial costs, or conferred benefits, in reasonable reliance on the promise.
Contracts. Chapter 301. Contracts—Formation, Interpretation, and Enforceability. WPI 301.02 Promise Defined. A promise is an expression that justifies the person to whom it is made in reasonably believing that a commitment has been made that something specific will happen or not happen in the future.
Promises, it is said, are made to be broken. Absent a valid contract, a broken promise does not typically provide grounds for a lawsuit. However, under certain circumstances, the legal doctrine of detrimental reliance may provide a remedy.
It is a tort against the breaching party. The principle of breach of promise treats the promise to marry as an enforceable contract which may entitle the non-breaching party to receive damages. However, such an action has been barred in most of the jurisdictions and does not give rise to a valid cause of action.
Suppose one party, the offeror, makes a statement or a promise that causes another party to rely on that statement in such a way that they are financially injured by that reliance. In that case, a court will enforce the statement or promise as if it were a valid contract.