Detriments suffered in the past cannot be consideration for present promises under contract law because the detriment (consideration) suffered by a party to the bargain must be a reciprocal detriment that reciprocally induces the other party to also suffer a detriment in order to establish the bargain. [1]
Because of this, logic dictates that the basis for a detriment suffered prior to the making of a promise cannot be attributed to that same promise because the promise did not exist when the detriment was suffered. [2] It’s like saying one received a ticket for running a red light when traffic lights had not yet been invented.
[1] Brian A. Blum, Examples & Explanations: Contracts 202 (6 ed. 2013).
[2] Id. at 203
Brian Rice