Legal Definitions - resile

Resile is a verb that means to withdraw from a previous statement, position, or agreement. It signifies a decision to retract or back out of a commitment, assertion, or stance that was previously made or held.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of resiling:

• Example 1: Withdrawing a Statement

  During a police investigation, a person provides a detailed account of an incident. However, when later called to testify in court, they claim that certain parts of their initial statement were inaccurate and attempt to offer a different version of events.

  This illustrates resiling because the individual is retracting or withdrawing from their previously given statement, indicating a change in their asserted facts.

• Example 2: Backing Out of an Agreement

  A landlord and a prospective tenant verbally agree on the terms of a lease for an apartment, including the rent amount and move-in date. Before the written lease agreement is signed, the landlord receives a more attractive offer from another applicant and informs the original tenant that the apartment is no longer available to them.

  In this scenario, the landlord is attempting to resile from the verbal agreement, backing out of the commitment they made to the first tenant.

• Example 3: Changing a Negotiating Position

  In a complex business negotiation for a merger, Company A initially proposes a specific valuation for Company B. After several weeks of discussions and due diligence, Company A discovers new information and informs Company B that they can no longer agree to their initial valuation and are now proposing a significantly lower figure.

  Here, Company A is resiling from its original negotiating position, withdrawing its previous offer and adopting a new, less favorable stance.