Contracts II Flashcards
Public policy
Balancing test:
(1) Importance of enforcing the contract
(2) Importance of furthering the public policy
Partial enforceability (public policy)
Severability (public policy)
Court may delete the offending term and enforce that party of the agreement that is not against public policy. Must consider whether the party whom enforcement benefits acted in good faith.
Rescission and severability (public policy)
Court must decide whether the contract can be reformed or does it need to be voided. If reformed, contract is still effective.
Available if:
(1) Disproportionate forfeiture would occur absent restitution
(2) One party is excusably ignorant of the public policy
(3) One party was not equally in the wrong as the other party
(4) One party withdrew from performance before the improper purpose was achieved
If parties are at equal fault, there is no remedy for either party.
Contracts that restrain trade (public policy)
(1) Reasonability factors
(A) Legitimate interest of the public
(B) Hardship to the promisor
(C) Injury to the public
(2) Extent of restraint
(3) Striking or modifying restraints
(4) Other factors
(A) Scope of activity
(B) Time
(C) Geography
Mutual mistake
(1) Both parties
(2) At contract formation
(3) Basic assumption
(4) Material effect
(5) No risk bearing
Unilateral mistake
(1) One party
(2) At contract formation
(3) Basic assumption
(4) Material effect
(5) No risk bearing
(6) Unconscionability
(7) Causation or knowledge
Market conditions (mistake)
Changes in market conditions do not implicate mistake doctrine
Material effect (mistake)
A severe imbalance in the agreed exchange that results in unfairness
Risk bearing (mistake)
Either:
(1) Allocated by agreement
(2) Limited knowledge (and knew it)
(3) Reasonable (“as is”)
Impossibility (changed circumstances)
(1) After contract formation
(2) Supervening event occurs without fault
(3) Impossibility of performance
(4) Basic assumption that the event would not occur
(5) Allocation of risk
Impracticability
(1) After contract formation
(2) Supervening event occurs without fault
(3) Impracticability of performance
(4) Basic assumption that the event would not occur
(5) Allocation of risk
Frustration of purpose
(1) After contract formation
(2) Supervening event occurs without fault
(3) Substantial frustration of performance
(4) Basic assumption that the event would not occur
(5) Allocation of risk
Force majeure clauses (changed circumstances)
(1) External forces
(2) Not reasonably foreseeable
(3) That materially affect performance
Parol evidence
(1) Oral or written
(2) Before contract formation
(3) Integration
(A) Totally integrated
(B) Partially integrated
Determining integration; classic rule (parol evidence)
(1) Plain meaning
(2) Interpret ambiguous language
(3) Merger clause
Determining integration; modern rule (parol evidence)
(1) Outside evidence
(2) Intent of parties
(3) Merger clause
(4) Other factors:
(A) Detail in writing
(B) Nature of writing
(C) Formalities in drafting
(D) Business practices
(E) Past dealings
(F) Nature of parol evidence
Total integration (parol evidence)
Contradictory terms; not admissible
Consistent additional terms; not admissible
Partial integration (parol evidence)
Contradictory terms; not admissible
Consistent additional terms; admissible
Exceptions (parol evidence)
(1) Fraud
(2) Misrepresentation
(3) Mistake
(4) Duress
(5) Undue influence
Oral condition precedent (parol evidence)
(1) Oral evidence of condition
(2) That never occurred
(3) Evidence admitted if credible
Collateral contract (parol evidence)
(1) Negotiation premised on doing two jobs
(2) With separate consideration
(3) Parol evidence admissible
Dispute (interpretation)
Disagreement over meaning of express term. Not disagreement over the express terms of the contract or over performance.
Ambiguity (interpretation)
Ambiguity exists if meaning of term is uncertain or term is reasonably susceptible to more than one meaning.
Ambiguity; classic rule (interpretation)
Judge must find ambiguous language within the four corners of the contract without resorting to outside evidence. Only patent ambiguities.
Ambiguity; modern rule (interpretation)
Judge may consider outside evidence to determine whether a term is ambiguous. Both patent and latent ambiguities.
Patent ambiguity (interpretation)
Language where the plain meaning of the language is either uncertain or reasonably susceptible to more than one meaning
Latent ambiguity (interpretation)
Requires additional outside evidence other than the plain meaning of the term in order to understand that the term is susceptible to more than one meaning
Primary rules of interpretation
(1) Language of express terms
(2) Course of performance
(3) Course of dealings
(4) Trade usage
Secondary rules of interpretation
(1) Preference of interpretation
(2) Conflicts between clauses
(3) Ejusdem generis
(4) Interpretation against the drafter
Types of implied terms
(1) Express
(2) Implied
Open price term; UCC (implied terms)
(1) No price
(2) Imply reasonable price
Good faith and fair dealings (implied terms)
Every contract imposes upon each party a duty of good faith and fair dealing in its performance and its enforcement. Implied term that neither party shall do anything that will have the effect of destroying or injuring the right of the other party to receive the fruits of the contract.
Implied warranty of merchantability; UCC (implied terms)
(1) Merchant
(2) With respect to goods of that kind
(3) Warrant that goods must be merchantable
Express warranty; UCC (implied terms)
(1) Buyer shown a sample or model
(2) Part of basis of the bargain
(3) Goods must conform to the sample or model
Implied warranty of fitness for particular purpose; UCC (implied terms)
(1) At time of contract
(2) Seller had reason to know
(3) Particular purpose of goods required
Implied warranty of habitability (implied terms)
(1) At the beginning of lease
(2) Throughout duration of lease
(3) No latent defects in facilities and utilities vital to use of premises for residential purposes
Breach of contract
(1) Non-performance of duty
(2) No matter how small
(3) Gives rise to claim for damages
Levels of breach
(1) Partial
(2) Material
(3) Total
Determining materiality of breach (step one)
Factors:
(1) Amount of benefit not received by non-breaching party
(2) Adequacy of damages
(3) Forfeiture suffered by breaching party
(4) Likelihood of cure
(5) Lack of good faith and fair dealings
Determing type of breach (step two)
Partial breach
(1) Minor deviations
(2) Substantial performance
Rights of non-breaching party
(1) Non-breaching party’s performance is not relieved under the contract
(2) Recover damages for breach
Material but not total breach
(1) Substantial deviations
(2) That might be cured
Rights of non-breaching party
(1) May suspend performance until the breach is either cured or breach becomes total
(2) Recover damages for breach
Total and material breach
(1) Substantial deviations
(2) That will not be cured
Rights of non-breaching party
(1) Non-breaching party may withhold performance
(2) Terminate contract
(3) Recover damages (or other remedy)
Time is of the essence (breach of contract)
“Time is of the essence” clause typically states that a party will be in total breach of the contract if the performance does not occur by a certain date at a certain time. Such a clause typically negates the right of the breaching party to cure.
Efficient breach (breach of contract)
(1) One party is better off
(2) Neither party is worse off
Seller’s nonperformance; UCC (breach of contract)
(1) Non-delivery
(2) Fails to make proper tender
(3) Breach of warranty
(4) Anticipatory repudiation
Buyer’s response to seller’s nonperformance; UCC (breach of contract)
(1) Buyer rejects
(2) Buyer accepts
(3) Buyer revokes acceptance
(4) Seller cures
(5) Cancellation
Perfect tender rule (breach of contract)
Subject to the provisions of this Article and unless otherwise agreed under the sections on contractual limitations of remedy, if the goods or the tender of delivery fail in any respect to conform to the contract, the buyer may:
(1) Reject the whole
(2) Accept the whole
(3) Accepts any commercial unit or units and reject the rest
Buyer’s nonperformance; UCC (breach of contract)
(1) Wrongful rejection of goods that are properly tendered
(2) Fails to make payment
(3) Anticipatory repudiation
Condition precedent
Condition precedent creates a duty or a right
Condition subsequent
Condition subsequent discharges a duty or terminates a right
Types of conditions
(1) Express
(2) Constructive (implied by law)