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I'm dealing with an organisation (a UK regulator) that claims, amongst other things to be Decent and Ethical[1]. They splash these values everywhere, their emails and website, pretty well anywhere they can fit them. I've been dealing with them on a legal basis and their behaviour has been anything but. As a non-lawyer I've been wondering if these stated values have any legal significance?

[1] words to that effect anyway.

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    Ever Heard the word puffery?
    – Trish
    Commented Jun 13 at 15:17
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    Now you mention it, I guess I have and a quick look <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffery> is interesting, but that link also says "it identifies futile speech, typically of a seller, which does not give rise to legal liability. In a circular manner, legal explanations for this normative position describe the non-enforceable speech as a statement that no "reasonable person" would take seriously anyway". But this organisation is not a seller, but a significant UK non-profit regulator.
    – user3779002
    Commented Jun 13 at 15:22
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    ... so to make explicit what I was trying to say, a "reasonable person" might very well suppose a non-profit regulator would actually mean what they claim everywhere.
    – user3779002
    Commented Jun 13 at 17:21
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    Words like these are also quite vague. So even if there were some legal weight, it would be nearly impossible to determine whether someone was living up to them. Many people think Google stopped obeying their "don't be evil" motto years ago.
    – Barmar
    Commented Jun 14 at 0:40

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As a non-lawyer I've been wondering if these stated values have any legal significance?

Probably not, particularly in the case of a regulatory organization. Mottos like that are aspirational rather than imposing legal obligations.

A court house where I sometimes practice has the motto "Liberty and Justice For All" carved into stone above its entrance, but that doesn't allow me to sue the judges or the courts for not living up to that standard.

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  • Accepted, thanks.
    – user3779002
    Commented Jun 14 at 10:07

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