Contracts Flashcards
Contracts
- Legally binding agreements between two or more parties
- Must be written to be enforceable
- Essentials of a contract: offer and acceptance, legal object, consideration, and reality of consent and competence
Consideration
anything of value exchange between two parties
Offer and acceptance
A presentation of terms, shortened letter version as a binder or letter of intent and serves similar process.
-Mutual Agreement, evidenced by either signatures or action
Legal object
The purpose of the contract must be legal. anything illegal is not really a contract
Reality of Consent and Competence
Consent means freedom from misrepresentation, fraud, undue influence, or physical injury; the parties to the contract must also be competent
Valid Contract
has the essential elements (offer and acceptance, consideration, legal object, reality of consent and competency
Void or Voidable Contract
are not legally binding, lack of one of the first three essentials (offer and acceptance, consideration, or legal object)
Statute of Frauds
Law that requires certain type of contract to be written in order to be enforceable
another way that a contract might be unenforceable; the law that requires that certain types of contracts, including real estate contracts, be in writing in order to be enforceable
Doctrine of Laches
Idea that you lose your rights if you fail to assert them within a reasonable timeframe can also be used to claim a contract unenforceable; consulting an attorney is advisable
Statute of Limitations
a hard legal limit on when you can bring a certain claim to court. Can’t be enforceable after the limit
in MA you have up to 20 years to file a lawsuit after someone violates a contract
-Unilateral or Bilateral
Unilateral
contract where one party makes a promise to do something, while the other does not necessarily make any promise
Bilateral
Promise in a contract where there is simultaneous exchange of promises
Executory contracts
Contracts that have been agreed to, but not yet completed
Executed contracts
Are completed and finished (example you’ve moved out of your leased apartment and all the terms have been satisfied)
not to be confused with term accepted (signed)
Assigned Contracts
transfer of party’s rights and obligations to another party. Assignor is not relieved of their obligations should the assignee fail to perform under the contract (example sublease)
Breach of Contract
when one of the parties doesn’t do what they agreed to, violation of contract
Doctrine of Privity
give the parties in the contract the right to sue for a breach of that contract
List Contract Violation actions in the event of a breach of contract
- Recession
- Specific Performance
- Damages
- Liquidated Damages
- Forfeiture