Contract Law Second Term - TERMS Flashcards
what doctrine, the principal architect of which was Denning, was overruled as no longer needed due to UCTA in Photo Production Ltd v Securicor Transport Ltd?
doctrine of fundamental breach
St Albans City & District Council v International Computers Ltd
Insurance cover £50 mil, £100,000 (s.11(4))
liverpool City Council v Irwin
Breach of landlord duty, common ground
How many terms are in Sch.2(1) UTCCR?
17
Curtis v Chemical Cleaning & Dyeing Co Ltd
Wedding dress
what action of UCTA gives its scope?
s.2
What Regulation exempts certain contracts under UTCCR?
Reg.4(2)(a) and (b)
Thompson v LM & S Railway Co
Timetable, low threshold of notice required (had to buy etc)
What did Steyn say in FNB about significant imbalance under Reg.5(1)?
Means substantive unfairness
what is a criticism of Hollier v Rambler Motors?
not giving effect to intentions of the parties
when will collateral contracts/terms add to the document containing all terms?
if the 2 stage test is satisfied - intention, and causation (but for the collateral terms, would they have entered into the contract)
what did Hoffman say about the common law methods of controlling exemption clauses prior to UCTA in Bank of Credit and Commerce SA v Ali?
‘judicial creativity bordering on judicial legislation’
What is the outcome of UTCCR?
Invalidates all unfair non-core terms
What is the main difference between OFT v Ashbourne and FNB?
Former found unreasonable and latter reasonable
L Harris (Harella) Ltd v Continental Express ltd v Burn Transit Ltd
No express exemption, but wide enough to cover NGL
what did Lord Bridge say of importance in Scally v Southern Health and Social Services Board?
only appropriate for ‘circumstances postulated’, giving a narrow implied term to the facts of the case only
parker v SE railway co
briefcase, can make presumptions (e.g. of literacy)
two cases on implication of terms by law
Shell (UK) Ltd v Lostock Garage Ltd, Lister v Romford Ice & Cold Storage Co Ltd
which case regarded the test in A-G of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd cautiously?
The Reborn, considering it a reformation, not a revolution, but too much latitude to judges to choose missing term
what three cases show how to distinguish between terms and representations?
Oscar Chess Ltd v Williams; Dick Bentley Productions Ltd v Harold Smith (Motors) Ltd; Esso Petroleum Co Ltd v Mardon
who said ‘standard terms of business’ for s.3 UCTA is a matter of ‘fact and degree’; something on which they ‘habitually contract’?
Stannard J
what are the two advantages of standard form contracts?
reduce costs and raise consistency
What is contra proferentum?
Ambiguity in a term is interpreted against the person seeking to rely on it
what did Parke B in Hutton v Warren say about implication of terms by custom?
There needs to be ‘known usage but not necessarily known to the parties’
Esso Petroleum Co Ltd v Mardon
Thoroughfare
What case is OFT v Ashbourne similar to?
FNB
L Schuler AG v Wickman Machine Tool Sales Ltd
Lord Reid’s presumption against unreasonable results
what schedule gives indicatively unfair list of terms in UTCCR?
Sch.2 UTCCR
Timeload Ltd v BT plc
Disconnect, no reason
when is the parole evidence rule applicable?
when express terms are contained in a document containing all the contract terms
Why was it considered unreasonable to limit liability to the cost of the seed in Finney Lock?
Not negotiated, fault of seller, could have got insurance and evidence others did not rely on it
what was the test given by Denning in Shell (UK) Ltd v Lostock Garage Ltd in reference to, and what was it?
implication of terms by law. (1) look to case law, (2) consider if reasonable to imply it if there is no case law
in what section of UCTA is the consumer defined?
s.12
What does Reg.6(2) UTCCR say about its scope?
Non-core terms; not fairness of definition of subject matter, nor adequacy of price/remuneration in ‘plain, intelligible language’
what is the limitation-exclusion distinction in interpreting terms?
limitation clause = presumptively valid due to important role in allocating risk; exclusion = more restrictive approach
What does Lord Steyn conclude about the justification for implied terms in “Contract Law: Fulfilling the Reasonable Expectations of Honest Men”?
Court’s view of the reasonable expectations of contracting parties
how are terms implied in fact?
based on unexpressed intention implied from factual context of contract
Who gave three possible justifications for implying terms?
Collins in “The Law of Contract”
what is the objective of UTCCR?
Consumer protection, so high standard of plainness and intelligibility required
Why was the term not found to be unfair in FNB?
Consumer was aware so no imbalance
What were the four main recommendations of the Law Commission’s Report on Unfair Terms in Contracts, Report No.292?
Unified scheme replacing UCTA and UTCCR; unitary fair and reasonable test; extend consumer protection to all non-core terms, even when negotiated; extend protection to ‘micro-businesses’ where non-core non-negotiated terms are used
R & B Customs Brokes Co Ltd v UDT Ltd
four wheel drive
what does s.1(3) UCTA include?
liability for beach of obligations/duties arising from things done in the court of business or from occupation of business purposes
Canada Steamship Lines Ltd v The King
Rules must be followed for exemptions of negligence liability (Lord Morton)
What are the effects of unfairness under UTCCR?
Not binding (Reg.8(1)) or will continue to bind if possible without the term (Reg.8(2))
what is the point of UCTA?
To control exemption clauses, regulating liability of recognised causes of action
what does s.3 UCTA control?
exemption from Boc in consumer and standard form contracts
what are the three categories the list in Sch.2(1) UTCCR fall into?
(1) Defeating reasonable expectations e.g. (j), (2) Inadequate remedy for breach e.g. (a)&(b), and (3) unreasonable burden on consumer
Oscar Chess Ltd v Williams
Vintage car, no specialist knowledge on the behalf of D
What case law is there on Reg.5(1) Fairness?
FNB –> Steyn; substantive unfairness, Bingham; ‘fair and pen dealing’
what are at least three exceptions to the parole evidence rule?
vitiations, collateral/implied terms and rectification
Rainy Sky SA v Kookmin Bank
unambiguous language
When was UCTA passed?
1977
what are the two ways courts can deal with exemption clauses?
make them entirely ineffective or reasonable
what type of damages are given for breach of a representation?
reliance damages (backward looking)
What are three possible justifications Collins gives for implying terms?
To state expressly that which was silently understood, economic analysis (courts fill gaps so parties save money) and efficiency analysis (terms which would have been agreed but for costs)
The Moorcock
test of necessity, jetty, risk could have been on either so business efficacy test insufficient
what two cases show the importance of the timing of a notice for terms in an unsigned doc to be incorporated?
olley v marlborough court ltd; thornton v shoe land parking ltd
what did Judge Bowsher QC say in British Fermentation Products Ltd v Compair Reavell Ltd regarding exclusion clauses?
they can be vital for allocating risk as well; ‘good business common sense of the contract’ as a whole
What is the list in Sch.2 UTCCR in practice?
presumptively unfair terms
What does s.9 give about the effect of breach in UCTA?
Affirmation or termination does not prevent C from relying on a clause satisfying s.11
what three cases show that reasonable notice of a term in an unsigned document is an objective test?
parker v SE railway co; thompson v LM & S railway co; j spurling ltd v bradshaw
Smith v Eric S Bush on difference between definition of a duty and defensive term
‘but for’ test - would liability arise but for the term in question?
who highlighted the importance of the statement is vital when distinguishing between whether it is a term or a representation?
Morris LJ in Oscar Chess
what does s.2 UCTA cover?
negligence liability
What case suggests draftsmen will separate out clauses, and this seems to be respected by courts, to avoid the entire clause being struck down?
Watford Electronics Ltd v Sanderson CFL Ltd
What needs to be established before UCTA can be used?
basis upon which D is liable (e.g. term, incorporated, covers event in question on proper construction?)
how could one distinguish between Abbey National and First National Bank for UTCCR?
Distinguish on due performance and breach; pay fees for breach but overdraft fees part of package
olley v marlborough court ltd
hotel room - must be given before
what does s.6 and s.7 of the UCTA apply to?
exemption from breach of implied terms in SoG, hire purchase and supply of goods
who says that Canada Steamship rules would need explicit overruling, not just dicta in Bromwich?
McKendrick
Judgment in Hotel Services Ltd v Hilton International Hotels (UK) Ltd?
distinction between 1st (direct and outside exclusion) and 2nd (indirect and inside clause) limb of rule in Hadley v Baxendale; express words must be used as sizeable loss of profit is frequently ‘direct’
what section of UCTA controls exemption from breach of implied terms in SoG, hire purchase and supply of goods?
s.6 and s.7
What did Atiyah say about the value of a signature in “Form and Substance in Contract Law”?
It ‘would be greatly reduced if it could not be treated as conclusive ground of contractual liability’
what judge in Rainy Sky SA v Kookmin Bank suggested unambiguous language needs to be applied?
Lord Clarke
Howard Marine & Dredging Co Ltd v A Ogden & Sons (Excavations) Ltd on s.11 and Sch.2
Not just limited to factors in s.11 and Sch.2 UCTA
Name an administrative enforcement mechanism, named as a qualifying body under Reg.12(1).
OFT
how is s.12 UCTA narrower than UTCCR?
exclusions in s.12(1)(c) (auctions, competitive tenders and rarely supplied goods)
What did Bingham say in FNB about ‘good faith’ under Reg.5(1)?
‘fair and open dealing’
What type of damages are given for breach of a term/warranty?
expectation damages (forward looking)
what type of term was at issue in the case of Curtis v Chemical Cleaning & Dyeing Co Ltd
a collateral term that exemption only applied to beads and sequins
Lovell and Christmas v Wall
not going beyond ‘four corners’ of the document to interpret it
On what directive is UTCCR based?
European Directive 93/13/EEC
How could the decision in Peninsula Business Services Ltd v Sweeney be justified?
D could not expect greater rights than the contract gave
What regulations govern fairness review under UTCCR?
Reg.5(1) (good faith, significant imbalance) and Reg 6.6(1) (assessment at time of conclusion)
A-G of Belize v Belize Telecom Ltd, Hoffman
restated term for implication in fact
Shell (UK) Ltd v Lostock Garage Ltd
reasonableness in CL, test by Denning MR; look to case law for case implying term, or consider if reasonable in particular category to imply it
What case shows the danger of relaxing a clause for s.11 UCTA?
Finney Lock; unreasonable under s.11 due to general understanding that it is not to be enforced.
how are terms implied by custom?
Custom of marker, trade or locality
who is the burden of proof on under Reg.5 UTCCR?
Person claiming it was individually negotiated
Hollier v Rambler Motors (in regard to regularity of dealings)
‘not quite one dealing a year’, over phone
who said ‘no contracts are made in a vacuum’?
Lord Wilberforce, Prenn v Simmons
what remains unclear after Hoffman’s statement in Bromwich?
which cases have been overruled
what is the officious bystander test?
so obvious it goes without saying, “Oh of course”