Article 2 Flashcards
Purpose of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
Must be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies, which are:
- To simplify, clarify, and modernize the law governing commercial transactions.
- To permit the continued expansion of commercial practices through custom, usage, and agreement of the parties; and
- To make uniform the law among the various jurisdictions.
Article 2 applies to:
- Sales of goods
- Blended or hybrid contracts wherein the sale of goods is the predominant purpose of the transaction.
What are “Goods”?
Goods are all items movable when identified to the contract. Also includes unborn young of animals and growing crops and other identified things attached to realty.
What is the essence of a “good”?
Tangible mobility
What is a “sale”?
passing of title from the seller to the buyer for a price
What is “title”?
Legal fiction representing a bundle of rights in or to property.
Example: drugs, you can possess them but don’t have legal rights to them.
What is “price”?
-Whatever it means to the parties, as long as it’s not a gift.
-Does not necessarily mean $$$.
-Flexible under UCC; have to look to the context.
Contract Interpretation Under Article 2 in order of priority
- Express Terms
- Course of Performance
- Course of Dealing
- Trade Usage
Express Terms
Most important source of meaning.
Provisions of agreement are clearly and unambiguously stated on the face of the contract.
Express terms control course of performance, course of dealing, and usage of trade.
Course of Performance
Sequence of conduct between the parties to a particular transaction that exists if:
1.Agreement involves repeated occasions for performance, and
- The other party must, with knowledge of the performance and opportunity to object to it, accept or acquiesce to the performance.
Only express terms prevail over course of performance
Course of Dealing
Sequence of conduct concerning previous transactions between the parties to a particular transaction that is fairly to be regarded as establishing a common basis of understanding for interpreting their expressions and other conduct.
Trade Usage
Any practice or method of dealing having such regularity of observance in a place, vocation, or trade as to justify an expectation that it will be observed with respect to the transaction in question.
How to differentiate Course of Dealing from Course of Performance?
Course of Performance:
What did the parties do previously in the context of performing this very deal?
Course of Dealing:
What did the parties do previously in the context of other past contracts between them?
Merchant
A person:
- Who deals in goods that are the subject matter of the given transaction; or
- Who hold themselves out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to the practices or goods involved in the transaction.
Unconscionable contract
UCC does not define unconscionability.
What may the court do when finding a contract to be unconscionable.
Courts may decline to enforce contracts or clauses of contracts that the court finds to be unconscionable as a matter of law at the time of formation.
What may the parties do when the court finds a contract or a clause to be unconscionable?
the parties shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present evidence as to its commercial setting, purpose and effect to aid the court in making the determination.
Characteristics of unconscionability
- Essence is disparity of bargaining power
- Cannot be divorced from commercial setting
- Unconscionability assessed at the time of contract formation.
- Unconscionability is a matter of law
What does it mean for unconscionability to be a matter of law?
o Judge decides
o Freely appealable
Remedies for unconscionable contract or clause
- Nullify, but enforce remainder
- Limit application
- Void the entire contract
What does “good faith” means?
“Good faith” means
* Honesty in fact
* Observation of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing
Article 2 structure of a contract
- Formation
- Content
- Performance
- Remedies
Contract Formation Elements
-Offer
-Acceptance
-Consideration
Offer
UCC does not define offer, we must follow common law:
Manifestation of willingness to enter into a bargain, which justifies the offerree’s acceptance.
Must be:
-reasonably certain
-communicated to the offerree; and
-not terminated prior acceptance
Firm Offer doctrine
Requirements:
-Offer made by a merchant
-Signed writing with assurances that offer will be held open
-Irrevocable, even if not consideration, for time stated or “reasonable time”
-Cannot exceed three months
What if the offerree drafts the firm offer?
Doesn’t matter, as long as it is signed by the offeror
Acceptance
Offerree’s unconditional manifestation of assent to form a contract.
-ANY manner of acceptance is appropriate, unless offer unambiguously indicates otherwise
How may an offerree accept an offer or order to buy goods for prompt or immediate shipment?
Either by:
- prompt promise to ship; or
- prompt shipment
Prompt shipment of nonconforming goods
Still constitutes acceptance of an offer for immediate or prompt shipment of goods.
But remedies may be available to the offeror upon receipt of nonconforming goods.
Battle of the Forms
An expression of acceptance operates as an acceptance, even if it includes additional or different terms
Battle of the Forms framework
If non-merchants:
Additional terms are construed as proposals. Become part of the contract if the original offeror assents to them.
If merchants:
Terms become part of the contract unless:
1. Offer expressly limits acceptance to the terms of the offer
2. New/different terms materially alter the bargain
3. Objection supplied within reasonable time
Battle of the forms: Caveat for exception “materially alters the agreement”
A term materially alters the contract if its incorporation w/o express awareness by the other party would result in surprise or hardship.
For example, a clause negating otherwise applicable warranties or limiting remedies or departing from trade usage would work a material alteration.
Battle of the Forms: contradictory terms
Courts will look to the parties’ conduct to ascertain the meaning of the parties’ contract
Statute of Frauds requirements
- Sale of goods $500 or more
- Valid writing signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought
- Must include quantity item
Statute of Frauds Exceptions
- Reply Doctrine
- Admissions
- Specially Manufactured Goods
- Partial Payment
- Partial Delivery
SOF Exception: Reply Doctrine
- Parties are merchants
- Party against whom enforcement is sought did not sign the writing
- Party against whom enforcement is sought sent a “writing in confirmation of the contract”
An oral contract can be enforceable if one merchant sends another merchant written confirmation of the parties oral agreement.
Requirements to successfully invoke the reply doctrine
- contract must be between merchants
- a letter of confirmation (can be an email) must be received within a reasonable time, and the party receiving it must have reason to know of its contents
- the confirmation must contain quantity item, must evidence a contract for the sale of goods, and must be signed by the sender; and
- the party receiving the confirmation must not object to its contents in writing within 10 days after it is received.
SOF Exception: Admissions
Litigants cannot admit the existence of a contract + claim the benefit of the SOF
One who admits in pleadings, testimony or otherwise in court that a contract was made is bound by that admission, up to the quantity of goods admitted.
SOF Exception: Specially Manufactured Goods
Contracts for the sale of specially manufactured goods are excepted from the writing requirement if:
- goods were specially manufactured by the buyer.
- they are not suitable for sale to others
- Circumstances indicate goods are for the buyer
- Before repudiation / breach, seller made substantial steps in the manufacturing process
SOF Exception: Partial Payment
Absent a writing required under the SOF, an otherwise unenforceable contract is enforceable to the extent of a partial payment.
SOF Exception: Partial Delivery
Absent a writing required under the SOF, an otherwise unenforceable contract is enforceable to the extent of any goods delivered and accepted
What is the Parol Evidence Rule?
-Partially and fully integrated writings cannot be contradicted by prior or contemporaneous oral agreements
-Partially integrated agreements may be supplemented by consistent additional terms
-Fully integrated agreements are deemed “final, complete and exclusive”
-All writings can be explained by the triplets (course of performance, course of dealing, or trade usage)