Partnership by Estoppel in Nevada

Partnership by estoppel is a statutory recognition that someone “represents himself or herself, or consents to another representing him or her to any one, as a partner” and should therefore be held responsible as a partnership under the law.  NRS 87.160(1).  A partner is an association of two or more persons doing business together for a profit.  NRS 87.060(1).

In other words, if I tell someone that you are my partner and you agree or do not correct me, that person has the right to presume we are acting as a partnership.  In a partnership, the partners have unlimited personal liability for the acts of the partnership and the acts of  their partners, so holding oneself out as a partner can have huge legal implications.  NRS 87.433.   Nevada’s Supreme Court has held that the consent to be treated as a partnership may be reasonably implied from the conduct of the parties.

The Moral: unless you want to have unlimited liability for the acts of that person, don’t say they are your partner.