Can duress make a contract void in Texas?

In Texas contract law, duress does indeed render a contract voidable. This means that if one party enters into a contract due to threats, coercion, or undue influence exerted by another party, the coerced party has the option to affirm or void the contract.

The essence of the concept lies in the absence of free will when agreeing to the contract terms; the victim of duress could not have entered into the contract in a meaningful way because their ability to make a voluntary choice was compromised. Thus, they are given the right to either back out of the contract or elect to continue with it, making it a voidable situation rather than wholly void.

This principle is established under common law and consistently upheld in Texas courts. The correct answer encapsulates the idea that while a contract can be considered valid initially, the party subjected to duress has the legally protected option to void it.