114/4221 STUDY GUIDE FORMATION OF CONTRACTS Flashcards
4221.01
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement.
4221.02
Express contract: The parties manifest their agreement by spoken or written words.
4221.03
Implied contract: Implied in fact. The agreement is manifest, not by direct words, but from the conduct of the parties.
4221.04
Quasi contract: Implied in law. One party is unjustly enriched at the expense of the other party such that the court will impose an obligation on the enriched party to pay the other party. No quasi contract will be imposed if there is an express or implied contract existing between the parties. The court implies a contractual obligation without regard to the agreement of the parties in order to prevent the unjust enrichment from occurring.
4221.05
Formal contract: Under seal. Consideration is conclusively presumed. A notary public’s imprint on a document is not a seal.
4221.06
Informal contract: Without a seal. Most contracts are informal and do not require a seal to be legally enforceable.
4221.07
Divisible contract: Promises that are not dependent on each other. Partial performance of the contract is allowed.
4221.08
Indivisible contract: Interdependent promises that cannot be separated.
4221.09
Unilateral contract: A promise in exchange for an act.
4221.10
Bilateral contract: Promise in exchange for a promise.
4222.11
Promissory estoppel
- A substitute for consideration
- Three elements must exist for promissory estoppel to apply:
1. A promise by the promisor that is reasonably expected to be relied upon by the promisee
1. The promisee does in fact detrimentally rely on the promise.
1. Injustice can be avoided only by enforcing the promise. - A promise that induces action is binding without return consideration if justice is served.
- Example: A promise of a donation to a charity when the charity makes expenditures in anticipation of the donation but does not give return consideration to support the promise to donate. Promissory estoppel could be used to enforce the promise to donate to the charity even though the promise is not supported by consideration.
4222.12
Executed contract: All parties to the contract have done all that they are obligated to do.
4221.13
Unenforceable contract: A contract that will not be enforced by the court. Valid when made but made unenforceable by some later event, such as the running of the statute of limitations or discharge of the contract in bankruptcy.
4221.19
Laws governing contracts for sale of real property: Common law rules apply.
4221.20
Laws governing contracts for services (employment): Common law rules apply.
4221.21
There are four elements necessary to have a valid contract:
- Agreement: Manifestation of mutual assent
- Consideration
- Legal purpose
- Competent parties
4221.22
An agreement is a mutual understanding between two or more persons.
4221.23
There must be a manifestation of mutual assent for the parties to be legally obligated on the contract.
4221.24
Objective standard is used to determine agreement. This means what persons show by their conduct, not necessarily what is thought.
4221.25
Normally, an agreement is reached by an offer and an acceptance of that offer.
4221.26
An offer is a promise to do or refrain from doing something in the future provided the other party complies with the stated conditions.