Incorporation of terms Flashcards
What are the three components of oral or written statements
term of the contract
mere puffs
representations
what does the term of the contract create?
Obligations
What happens if the obligations of a contract is not met?
There will be a breach of contract which can be sued for
what is a mere puff
the type of things seen in adverts
give an example of a mere puff
Lynx, it obviously isn’t going to make you irre
Are mere puffs supposed to be taken seriously?
no
What is a representation?
statements of fact that are made in the course of contracting in order to induce a party into entering into the contract.
Are representations terms of the contract
no
if a representation turns out to be false what can this give rise to?
Claims of misrepresentation.
How do we distinguish between terms and representations
look at the intention of the parties
What are the 5guidelines for seeing whether intention is present
the strength of the statement
importance of statement to representee
specialist knowledge
timing of statement
reduction into writing
Which case represents the strength of the statement
Ecay v Godfrey
Give the facts of Ecay v Godfrey
Godfrey sold a boat to Ecay in the course of discussions G said that the boat was capable of going overseas but that E should have it surveyed. the boat was in poor shape. E said this was a term of the contract but G said it was a representation.
what was the decision of the court in Ecay v Godfrey
The fact he advised E to get it surveyed shows the statement was not intended to be relied upon so here the strength of the statement was not sufficient to amount to a term.
Give the facts of Bannerman v White
The parties were negotiating over the sale of hops. the buyer said he was not interested in buying hops were sulphur had been used in the treatment process. The seller told him it had not. this was false.
Give the decision in Bannerman v White
this statement was a term because of how important it was to the representee
Give the facts of Oscar Chess v Williams
W wanted to part exchange his car and believed his car was first registered in 1948 because that is what the registration book inside the car said. OC agreed the car was the 1948 model and gave him £290 to put towards the new car. it later transpired the car was a 1939 model.
Give the decision in Oscar Chess v Williams
Here this was a representation not a term of the contract because it was clear that Williams had no expert knowledge of cars.
Give the facts of Dick Bentley v Harold Smith motors
the true mileage of the car had been misrepresented to the claimant who discovered this and sued because they had paid too much for the car.
What was the decision of the court in Dick Bentley v Harold Smith Motors
The statement of the mileage of the car was a term of the contract because it was made by a car dealer who was in a position to discover the truth of that statement.
Give the facts of Routledge v McKay
the parties were negotiating over the sale of a motorcycle. the seller innocently represented the motorcycle as a 1941 model. It was actually a 1930 model. after the initial negotiations they entered into a written agreement for sale of the motorbike.
What was the decision of the court in Routledge v McKay?
it was difficult to hold that the earlier discussion of the age of the motorbike was a term because it had been discussed before the written agreement and the written agreement contained no mention of the year of manufacture/ the statement was not a term of the statement because of the time at which it was discussed.
How does Routledge relate to reduction into writing?
If a statement is written down it is more likely to be considered a term because the intention is more clear.
What are the two types of terms?
Express and implied terms
Define an express term
a term that is either said or written down
Define an implied term
Terms that the parties have not actually discussed at the time of formation of the contract but which are treated as forming part of the contract.
Give the three ways in which express terms are incorporated into a contract
Signature
Notice
Course of dealings
Give the facts of L’estrange v Graucob
The claimant did not read the document she signed
Give the general rule the courts outlined in L’estrange v Graucob
once you have signed a document you are bound by it, unless the signature was induced by fraud or misrepresentation
Give the facts of Curtis v Chemical Cleaning and Dyeing Co
C took her dress to be cleaned and was asked to sign a receipt which the clerk told her excluded the company’s liability for specific damage. in reality it excluded all liability for damage. her dress was damaged and she sued