Quantum meruit is a Latin term meaning "as much as he has deserved". In the law of contracts, a doctrine by which the law infers a promise to pay a reasonable amount for labor and materials furnished, even in the absence of a specific legally enforceable agreement between the parties. Where the defendant is obliged to pay the plaintiff, e.g. for work done, but no specific sum is owing, the plaintiff can recover a reasonable sum, quantum meruit. Such a claim may arise from a contract or in quasi contract. [Sutton and Shannon on Contracts, 6^th Ed. P. 442]