History Main / TearUpTheContract

If you haven't signed the contract yet, it's not in force yet, so tearing up the paper is equivalent to rejecting it. (and throwing away the option of signing it later, if the other party has already done so)

** One has Gaston accidentally turn the office building chimney's into an impromptu AntiAir rocket, which of course shoots down De Masmaeker's brand-new executive jet onboard which he was about to sign the contracts.

In RealLife however, destroying the paper does not magically nullify the agreement. The contract still exists, even if you DestroyTheEvidence. It might just land you in jail though. Of course, if there is no remaining evidence that the contract was ever signed, the other party may have trouble proving this in court. Just remember modern contracts are usually signed in triplicate.

* In ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople: Strong Badia the Free'', Strong Sad writes up a bunch of legal documents declaring the independence of the Bleak House (which is to say, the House of Strong) and defining its laws. You, as Strong Bad, need to strongarm him into assisting you, which you do by burning all his documents with your lighter. Strong Bad effortlessly wins the battle of wills that follows.

In RealLife though, destroying the paper does not magically nullify the agreement. The contract still exists, even if you DestroyTheEvidence. It might just land you in jail though. Of course, if there is no remaining evidence that the contract was ever signed, the other party may have trouble proving this in court. Just remember modern contracts are usually signed in triplicate.

* ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', "The Campaign": Myra is a SpoiledDove who is engaged to Horace, but she's bound by contract to work at Hank's saloon. Inspired by women taking part in local elections, she decides to leave at once and she rips her contract with Hank in half when he refuses to let her go.

* ''WesternAnimation/WereBackADinosaursStory'': When Louie and Cecillia meet Professor Screweyes, he has them sign a contract that makes them a part of his CircusOfFear. When the dinosaurs arrive to take them back, Screweyes offers them pills that will turn them back into their primitive states, telling them that he will rip up the contract the kids signed and let them go if they do.

-->'''Roy:''' Forget the contracts. They're as null and void as a Second Edition sourcebook, as of right now. ''[RIP!]'' The last thing I want is to be like Shojo, twisting authority into coercion. If I use these contracts to force you to join me, I'm no better than he is. And if I keep tricking some of you into joining me, I'm no better than my father.

-->'''Roy:''' Forget the contracts. They're as null and void as a Second Edition sourcebook, starting right now. ''[RIP!]'' The last thing I want is to be like Shojo, twisting authority into coercion. If I use these contracts to force you to join me, I'm no better than he is. And if I keep tricking some of you into joining me, I'm no better than my father.

* ''Series/DrQuinnMedicineWoman'', "The Campaign": Myra is a SpoiledDove who is engaged to Horace, but i bound by contract to work at Hank's saloon. Inspired by women taking part in local elections, she decides to leave at once and she rips her contract with Hank in half when he refuses to let her go.

* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Episode "Recap/TheBradyBunchS5E1AdiosJohnnyBravo" Greg is approached by talent scouts after hearing him and his siblings perform and signs him...and only him...a recording deal and promising instant stardom. When he later finds out his voice is barely audible over the remastered track and they only signed him on because he fit the wardrobe suit, he rips his recording contract in half and walks out, of which the scouts just shrug it off. (In one Creator/NickAtNite airing that featured on-screen "pop-up" trivia throughout the episode, it mentioned that just ripping up the contract wouldn't get him out of the deal)

* ''{{Series/Angel}}'': Wesley burns Lilah's employment contract in an attempt to release her. It doesn't work.

* ''[[Series/AustinAndAlly Austin & Ally]]'': The episode "Solos & Stray Kitties" has Ally forced to be a part of the "Stray Kitties" a trio of cat-girls who are run by the sadistic [[MeanBoss Val]], and in an effort to get Ally out of a five-year contract, Austin tries to tear up the contract, [[RealityEnsues only for Val to state that she's already made several copies.]] They get her out of it by fooling Val into unknowingly signing one that renders hers null, and [[IronicEcho when she tears it up, Dez is revealed to have already made copies.]]

* ''Film/{{Airheads}}'': After finally getting a record deal but being forced to lip-sync in public performances, Chaz destroys his contract by stuffing it down the front of his pants and pulling it out again through the back.

* In ''Literature/{{Dorsai}}'', contracts (including what amounts to involuntary indentured servitude) are written on an indestructible artificial material to prevent this. And as these contracts are the basis for interstellar economy, even attempting to destroy one carries the death sentence. Anea Marlivana attempts to dispose of hers in an atomic incinerator, but is interdicted by our hero. That a 'well-balanced' individual would attempt to get out of her contract and risk execution is a clue to the protagonist about her employer (and a clue to the reader that Gordon Dickson is not optimistic about human rights being preserved).

* In one episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', Colonel Potter has a "mortgage burning party" in which he burns up the written mortgage on his house after it is paid off.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
** When Ned Stark is named Hand of the King by the dying King Robert Baratheon, he brings the writ signed by the deceased king to the throne room at King's Landing to legitimize his role and prove the king's intentions. Unfortunately, he makes the blunder of handing said writ to the King's widow, Cersei, who tears it up immediately and thus leaves Ned nothing to protect himself with. When the armed forces brought by Petyr Baelish also betray Ned, he is promptly arrested on the spot and his fate is sealed.
** Later on, when Tyrion Lannister is likewise named Acting Hand of the King by his father Tywin, he hands the writ to Varys, who reads it aloud for everyone in the Small Council to hear. It's implied that he knew that Cersei (and those loyal to her) would do exactly what she did to Ned. Later on, she threatens Tyrion by claiming that a "piece of paper" will help him as much as it did Ned Stark, but by this point, Tyrion has several other plays in place to save himself.
* ''Series/Charmed1998'': In the season 6 episode "Soul Survivor", the MonsterOfTheWeek is Zahn, a demon who specializes in using contracts to get people's souls through a DealWithTheDevil. The Charmed Ones initially can't vanquish him because if they do every soul Zahn has under contract will immediately be sent to purgatory where they will endure eternal torment. Piper eventually solves the situation by destroying all his contracts, thus releasing the souls from his control. The Charmed Ones then vanquish Zahn without endangering any of the souls.

* ''Series/TheWall'': After the third round, the isolated player receives a contract via pneumatic tube. They must either sign it, guaranteeing them at least $20,000, or tear it, which guarantees them the final bank total on the wall. Doing the latter invalidates the contract.

* One ''Series/ILoveLucy'' episode has Lucy bugging Ricky about buying another fancy dress. Ricky pulls out a paper she signed earlier that year promising to never ask for another dress if he bought her the one she currently wanted. Lucy tears it up, dismissing it as a forgery, but Ricky says he has a carbon copy.
* In one episode of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', Boss Hogg ''eats'' a contract saying it's his responsibility to reimburse the gold that was placed in his care, then stolen. The contractor smiles and asks if Boss wants another, or more, because he had a dozen certified copies made, each proving he signed.
* ''Series/TattooNightmares:'' In her account of her [[UnfortunateImplications "69" tattoo]] (based on the picture of her astrological sign of Cancer), Mara mentions her father taking her signed rental agreement and ripping it to pieces. Upon which she signals for her new boyfriend.

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* Wrestling/CMPunk tore up his contract with Wrestling/{{WWE}} at the end of the July 11, 2011 edition of ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw Monday Night Raw]]''. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FouccjzEEPU The segment]], fresh off the events of the June 28th, 2011 edition of ''Raw'', where Punk declared his intentions of letting his contract expire and get out of the company holding the WWE title, began with Wrestling/VinceMcMahon wanting to renew the contract, giving him the things he demanded until the whole ordeal devolved into name-calling and rage on both sides. Then Wrestling/JohnCena came to put Punk in his place, and Punk [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech/CMPunk dressed him all over the place]], even going as so far as to tell Cena that [[YouAreWhatYouHate he wasn't the underdog anymore]], he was an empire [[BullyingADragon "like the New York Yankees"]]. Cue the usually calm John [[BerserkButton furious at the comparison]] punching Punk, and Punk getting out of the ring and shredding the unsigned contract.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Roy shreds the employment contracts of the rest of the Order after pointing out that they're still technically bound by them. As the stakes of their mission had dramatically raised recently, he wants to be sure they are following him of their own free will and not out of obligation.

* In ''Literature/{{Dorsai}}'' contracts (including what amounts to involuntary indentured servitude) are written on an indestructible artificial material to prevent this. (Apparently, county courthouses no longer exist in the future.) Anea Marlivana attempts to dispose of hers in an atomic incinerator, but it survives. That a 'well-balanced' individual would attempt to get out of her contract is a clue to the protagonist about her employer (and a clue to the reader that Gordon Dickson is not optimistic about human rights being preserved).

* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': In "Paddys Pub Original Kitten Mittens" when the Gang are attempting to cash in on the merchandising convention Dee points out that she has the agreement giving her all the profits made from any merchandise (which was up till now a meaningless gesture they didn't produce any) in response Mac flat out [[EatTheEvidence eats the contract]] and as it was the only copy everyone treats it as the deal is now nullified (granted the gangs understanding of the law has been shown to be spotty at very best). At the episode after being tricked by [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep the Lawyer]] into signing away all the profits of their merchandise and agreeing to a restraining order, Mac again eats the contract only for the Lawyer to reveal he's had thousands of copies made in anticipation they would try that.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': [[spoiler:At the end of the game, Cuphead and Mugman defeat the Devil and then proceed to burn down all soul contracts they collected from his many debtors, freeing them from their eternal servitude. As a token of gratitude, the debtors throw a party in their honor, celebrating their victory and newfound freedom.]]

In ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople: Strong Badia the Free'', Strong Sad writes up a bunch of legal documents declaring the independence of the Bleak House (which is to say, the House of Strong) and defining its laws. You, as Strong Bad, need to strongarm him into assisting you, which you do by burning all his documents with your lighter. Strong Bad effortlessly wins the battle of wills that follows.