Business Law- Genuine Agreement and Contractual Capacity Flashcards
Genuine Agreement
-When the offeror makes a valid offer and the offeree has made a valid acceptance
How do courts decide a Genuine Agreement?
-Meeting of the Minds
What are the 5 circumstances that destroy genuine agreement?
- Fraud
- Innocent Misrepresentation
- Mistake
- Duress
- Undue Influence
Fraud
-A deliberate deception intended to secure an unfair or unlawful gain
The 5 Elements of Fraud
- A false representation of fact
- Knowledge of the falsity
- Intent to deceive
- Reasonable reliance by the innocent party
- An actual loss suffered by the innocent party
False representation of fact
-A false representation of a material existing fact
Material Fact
-One that is important and matters to one of the parties
Concealment/Passive Fraud
-Choosing not to reveal important information
-Seller must only disclose latent defects that cannot be seen
False representation of fact: Fiduciary Relationship
-The two parties are in a relationship of trust, there is a duty to disclose material facts
Ex. Doctor and patient, attorney and client
Sales puffery
A seller is allowed to make an overstated belief about their product in order to sell it
Elements of Fraud: Representation known to be false
-The bad party must be aware that the statement they made was false
-SHOWN BY
-Proving actual knowledge
-Showing the statement was made recklessly
False Representation Intended to be Relied Upon
-To prove fraud, the bad party must intend that the good party will rely on the information as part of the contracts negotiations
-Must be reasonably relied upon by the other party
Actual/Resulting Loss
-The innocent party must show monetary loss in order to prove fraud
Remedies for fraud
-Rescind/cancel the contract
-Sue for monetary damages
Innocent Misrepresentation
-The act of making an innocent statement that turns out to be false, when the person honestly believed the statement was true
Remedy for Innocent Misrepresentation
-The right to rescind the contract
-You may not win damages
Mistake
-Sometimes people enter into contracts believing that certain information is true when it is not
Unilateral Mistake
-An error on the part of one of the parties to the contract
-A person cannot avoid a contract because of such a mistake
Two types of unilateral mistakes
-Mistake as to the Nature of the Agreement
-Mistake as to the Identity of the Party
-Mistake as to the Nature of the Agreement
-People who sign an agreement are bound to it even if they have not read it/ are mistaken about its contents
Remedy: NO RECISSION
Mistake as to the identity of the party
If you make an offer by letter to one party, but the wrong person mistakenly receives the offer, the mistake may be cause to void the contract
Remedy: Rescission may be granted
Bilateral Mistake
-When both parties to a contract are mistaken about some important fact
-Either party may avoid the contract
Two types of bilateral mistakes
-Mistake as to the Possibility of Performance
-Mistake as to the Subject Matter