What principle is violated when coercion occurs in contractual agreements?

When coercion occurs in contractual agreements, the principle of freedom of choice is fundamentally violated. Freedom of choice is essential in contract law, as it ensures that all parties enter into agreements willingly and voluntarily. Coercion undermines this principle by forcing or intimidating one party into the contract, thereby compromising their ability to make a free and informed decision.

In a healthy contractual relationship, each party should have the autonomy to assess the terms and make decisions based on their own interests and considerations. Coercion removes this autonomy, leading to agreements that lack genuine consent. This principle is crucial to uphold fairness and integrity in contractual relationships, where each party's decision-making capacity must be respected.

Other principles, such as legitimate business interests, confidentiality of terms, and integrity of the parties involved, are important in the context of business law but do not directly address the impact that coercion has on the individual's choice to enter a contract. Thus, while these aspects might be relevant in other discussions around contracts, they do not capture the core issue of how coercion affects the voluntary nature of agreement.