Voluntary Courtesy Law and Legal Definition
Voluntary courtesy refers to an act of kindness performed by one person towards another. It is performed from the free will of the doer without any request on the part of the beneficiary. In voluntary courtesy there exists no promise of remuneration. An act done for the benefit of another, without his/her request, as a voluntary courtesy, cannot support an action for recovery.
A mere voluntary courtesy will not support even an express promise to pay. [McElderry v. United States, 1856 U.S. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 103 (Ct. Cl. 1856)].