Excuse for Nonperformance Flashcards
(UCC) Seller’s rejection of check
If a seller rejects a buyer’s check, seller must allow buyer additional reasonable time to return with cash.
Common law damages rule
Injured party can recover damages for any breach of contract, whether the breach is material or not.
Restitution
Breaching party can still get this remedy if the injured party did not compensate them for their already provided services.
Divisible contract
Contract that is divided between duties, where performing party is paid per duty fulfilled.
Immaterial Breach in a Divisible Contract
If a party doesn’t fulfill all duties in his divisible contract he is still liable for breach, but entitled to be paid for duties performed.
Material breach (CL)
only this provides an excuse to suspend an innocent party’s performance.
Anticipatory repudiation (CL)
Treated as a material breach and excuses performance unless retracted and not yet relied upon.
Injured party’s option under anticipatory repudiation
If a party anticipatorily repudiates, the injured party may immediately stop performance and immediately sue for breach.
Repudiation retraction rule
Repudiations can be retracted so long as they are not yet relied upon.
Effect of repudiation retraction
Reimposes injured party’s duty to perform
UCC failure to give adequate assurance
A party with reasonable grounds for being insecure about the other party’s performance may, in writing, request adequate assurance that the other party will perform in accordance with the contract.
Failure to give adequate assurance
if the other party doesn’t give adequate assurance after a reasonable request to do so, the injured party’s performance is excused.
What adequate assurance cannot be used for
Cannot use adequate assurance to re-write the contract or demand a particular kind of adequate assurance
Rescission
A mutual agreement to cancel the contract
Modification
An agreement to replace an existing contract with a new one.
Breach under a modified contract
If a party breaches after a contract has been modified, the injured party can sue to enforce only the modified contract, not the original one
When a proper modification takes effect
A proper modification takes effect immediately
(i.e. excuses original obligations immediately)
Accord
an agreement to accept a different performance in future satisfaction of an existing duty.
Accord rule
The pre-existing duty is suspended by the accord, but is not excused until the accord is satisfied (new term performed).