I think Rita would win against her uncle. Detrimental reliance means “did someone say or do something that would lead a reasonable person to believe there is a deal? In this case Rita’s uncle implied that if any of the nieces or nephews traveled through Europe he would give them the money back for the trip. She could prove promissory estoppel against her uncle, which means a promise was made, the promise was reasonable, the reliance was detrimental and the injustice can be prevented by enforcing the promise.
