The status of Transactions by an Intoxicated Person in Different Levels of Intoxication: Organizing the Theory of Non-bindingness of Certain Transactions of the Intoxicated Individual

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Amirabbas Askari ¹
• Ali Yarinejad ²

¹ PhD Graduate in Private Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Doctoral student of Private Law, University of Forensic Sciences and Administrative Services, Tehran, Iran

10.22067/jfiqh.2023.81448.1554

Abstract

One of the fundamental conditions for the validity of contracts is the “intent” and “consent” of both parties. The absence of these elements results in the invalidity or non-affectivity of the contract. Article 195 of the Civil Code considers a transaction concluded in the state of intoxication to be null, due to the absence of intention. Considering the counter-concept of this Article, transactions by an intoxicated person are either recognized as void due to the absence of intention, or considered valid if intention remains unaffected. The majority of jurists and legal scholars share the same view regarding transactions conducted by an intoxicated individual. However, from a medical standpoint, intoxication has several degrees, and a blanket ruling on the validity or nullity of transactions cannot address all the levels of intoxication properly. Intoxication can lead to the loss of both intention and consent in some cases, or keep both unaffected at other times. Sometimes the individual remains capable of intention but their consent is impaired. In this latter case, a key question arises: What is the status of a transaction conducted by an intoxicated individual? On one hand, the person possesses intention, so the transaction cannot be considered void. On the other hand, however, the individual’s consent is impaired, making it impossible to affirm the validity of the transaction. The present study applies the analytical-descriptive approach and examines the various levels of intoxication and their impact on intention and consent. By drawing upon jurisprudential principles and aligning them with legal standards, it is concluded that the ideal legal status for transactions made by an intoxicated person, where the individual has intention but their consent is impaired, is non-affected.

Keywords

• non-affectivity
• declaratory (Inshāʾī) will
• intoxicated individual’s transactions
• levels of intoxication
• intent
• consent

Main Subjects

• Jurisprudence and private law

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©2025 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

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