When is promissory estoppel a viable theory?

  
PROMISSORY ESTOPPEL AS BASIS FOR RELIEF
  
Promissory estoppel may be utilized to enforce a promise when a plaintiff justifiably and reasonably relies on the promise to his detriment, it was foreseeable that the plaintiff would rely on the promise, and injustice can only be avoided by enforcement of the promise. See Boy Scouts v. Responsive Terminal Sys., 790 S.W.2d 738, 742 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1990, writ denied).
 
A promise must be sufficiently definite to support promissory estoppel. Gillium v. Republic Health Corp., 778 S.W.2d 558, 570 (Tex. App.-Dallas 1989, no writ). A promise must also be more than speculation of future events, a statement of hope, an expression of opinion, an expectation, or an assumption. City of Beaumont v. Excavators & Constructors, Inc., 870 S.W.2d 123, 138 (Tex. App.-Beaumont 1993, writ denied). Lost profits are not recoverable under promissory estoppel; a plaintiff may only recover reliance damages. Fretz Constr. Co. v. Southern Nat'l Bank, 626 S.W.2d 478, 483 (Tex. 1981).

SOURCE: DALLAS COURT OF APPEALS - 05-08-00038-CV  

PROMISSORY ESTOPPEL CLAIM IN CONTEXT OF MORTGAGE RENEGOTIATION/MODIFICATION & FORECLOSURE