K II - Essential Provisions Flashcards
UCC 2-204 - K formation
- ANY MANNER of agreement is sufficient to form a K.
- A K can be formed even if the moment of its making is undetermined
- A K won’t be disqualified because there are open terms provided the parties have intended to enter a K and there is a reasonably certain basis for giving an appropriate remedy
UCC 2-206 - Acceptance
- Acceptance can be furnished in ANY REASONABLE manner unless otherwise specified
- An order to buy goods can be accepted through either promise to ship or the shipment of goods (if they’re non-conforming that is a breach w/o a note explaining that the goods are merely an accommodation)
UCC 2-205 - Firm Offers
A written, signed offer by a MERCHANT to buy/sell goods which states that it will be held open is not revocable for lack of consideration, but it won’t be enforced for more than three months.
UCC 2-207(1) - Additional terms/Acceptance
- A K can be accepted even if it adds additional or different terms, but those changes are merely proposals, UNLESS the acceptance is conditioned on the additional terms.
UCC 2-207(2) - Additional Terms for Merchants
- If the K is between MERCHANTS, then additional or different terms are accepted UNLESS they materially alter the K, the K expressly limits acceptance to the original terms, or the offeree has already objected to the different terms or notifies offeror in a reasonable time that they don’t accept the terms
UCC 2-207(3) - Additional terms and performance
Conduct by both parties which recognizes the existence of a contract is sufficient to establish a contract for salealthough the writings of the parties do not otherwise establish a contract. The K exists of the agreed upon terms in the writings and any gap fillers.
UCC 2-204(3) - Indefiniteness
Even though there are open terms, a contract for the sale of goods doesn’t fail for indefiniteness if the parties intended to make a contract and there is a reasonably certain basis for giving an appropriate remedy
UCC 2-305 - Open Price in a K
intent to conclude a contract may create a contract even if the price isn’t specified because it can be determined by the market price at the time of delivery
UCC 2-306 - Output requirement of good faith
If a K sets the quantity as the output of a seller or as the buyer’s requirements, the parties must act in good faith to produce or purchase accordingly. Best efforts must be used to supply or to buy.
UCC 2-307 - Deliver in single or several lots
Unless otherwise agreed all goods called for by a contract for sale must be tendered in a single delivery and payment is only due when delivered.
Where the K gives the right to delivery in lots, the price can be apportioned as such.
UCC 2-201(1) - Statute of Frauds
- Any sale for goods at $500 or more must be in writing. The writing must state the quantity, indicate the presence of a K, and be signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought.
Reliance and part performance are exceptions to the SoF requirement
UCC 2-201(2) - Statute of Frauds (Merchant provision)
A contract may be enforceable even though it doesn’t satisfy the SoF if it is between merchants and a K signed by one party is sent to the other followed by a lapse of 10 days operates as a signature of the receiving party IF both parties are merchants.
(there’s no analogue in the restatements)
UCC 2-201(3) - Statute of Frauds (Exceptions)
- if the goods are specially manufactured, not suitable for sale to others in the course of ordinary business and the seller, under circumstances indicating the goods are for the buyer, has substantially begun manufacturing or procurement before repudiation is received (this is a reliance measure)
- if the party against whom enforcement is sought admits to the K
- if the goods have been paid for and accepted
Additionally, some cases uphold enforcement based on reliance outside the type of reliance noted in subsection 3 through UCC 1-103(b)
UCC 1-103(b) - Explicit displacement of K Principles
(b) Unless displaced by the particular provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, the principles of law and equity, including the law merchant and the law relative to capacity to contract, principal and agent, estoppel, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, bankruptcy, and other validating or invalidating cause supplement its provisions.
Effectively these general principles can be displaced but it must be expressly so
UCC 2-202 - K Interpretation
- A K is interpreted in light of the circumstances
- The writing (and any related writings) are interpreted as a whole.
- Unless specified, the default definition is the general meaning. Technical terms will be relied upon when used in their field.
- Course of performance is given great weight
- The K will be interpreted not to clash with the course of performance, course of dealing, or usage of trade
UCC 2-314 - Implied Warranty of merchantability
If the seller is a merchant, there is a warranty that the goods are of “fair and average quality” (aka good enough)
UCC 2-315 - Implied Warranty of Fitness for a Particular Purpose
If the seller is a MERCHANT, the merchant knows that you are buying the goods for a PARTICULAR purpose, and the seller knows that the BUYER is relying on their expertise, then this warranty exists.
UCC 2-302 - Unconscionability
If a K or term is unconscionable at the TIME OF CONTRACTING a court may refuse to enforce it or it may enforce the remainder of the K without the unconscionable term or may limit the application of any unconscionable term as to avoid an unconscionable result.
If a K or term appears unconscionable, then the parties will be given the chance to evidence.
UCC 2-209(2) - Modification
An agreement modifying a contract for the sale of goods needs no consideration to be binding. The ability to modify can be excluded expressly in the contract, but if it is a form between merchants, it has to be signed separately.
The modern trend is toward recognition of promises as long as the sincerity of the obligation is clear and the commitment freely made, even if that same agreement would have been unenforceable under the strict consideration doctrine
RS 1 - K Defined
A K is a promise or set of promises for the breach of which the law gives a remedy or the performance of which the law in some way recognizes as a duty
RS 2 - K Roles
A promise is a manifestation of intention to act or refrain from acting in a specified way, made to justify a promisee in understanding that a commitment has been made
The person manifesting the intention is the promisor
The person accepting the manifestation is the promisee
Where performance will benefit a person other than the promisee, that person is a beneficiary
RS 3 - Agreement and Bargain
An agreement is a manifestation of mutual assent on the part of two or more persons
A bargain is an agreement to exchange promises or a promise for performance or performances
RS 90 - Promissory Estoppel
A promise which the promisor should reasonably expect to induce action or forbearance by the promise or a third party and which does induce such action is binding if injustice be avoided only by enforcement of the promise.
RS 17 - Requirement of a Bargain
A K requires a bargain with a manifestation of mutual assent to the exchange and consideration.
RS 71 - Requirement of Exchange
To be consideration, a performance or a return promise must be bargained for
To be bargained for, it must be sought by the promisor in exchange for his promise and given in exchange for that promise.
Performance can be an act other than a promise, forbearance, creation modification or destruction of a legal relation
RS 24 - Offer
An offer is a manifestation of willingness to enter into a bargain, made to justify another person in understanding that his assent to the bargain is invited and will conclude it.
RS 25 - Option K
An option K is a promise which meets the requirements for the formation of a K and limits the promisor’s power to revoke
RS 26 - Preliminary Negotiations
A manifestation of a willingness to enter into a bargain is not an offer if the person to whom it is addressed knows or has reason to know that the person making it does not intend to conclude a bargain until he has made a further manifestation of assent.
RS 27 - Written Memorialization
Manifestations of assent are enough to create a K. An intent to memorialize the K in a writing does not prevent a K from being formed, but circumstances may show that the agreements are preliminary negotiations.
RS 30 - Form of acceptance
Unless otherwise indicated, an offer invites acceptance in any manner and by any medium reasonable in the circumstances
RS 32 - Invitation of promise or performance
If there is any doubt, an offer is interpreted as inviting the offeree to accept by promise to perform or by performance, it’s up to the offeree
RS 50 - Acceptance
Acceptance is the manifestation of assent
Acceptance by performance requires that at least part of what the offer requests be performed or tendered
Acceptance by a promise requires that the offeree complete every act essential to the making of the promise
RS 51 - Part performance w/o knowledge of the offer
Unless the offeror manifests a contrary intention, an offeree who learns of an offer after he has rendered part of the performance requested by the offer may accept by completing the requested performance
RS 52 - Wo can accept the offer
Only the person whom it invites to furnish the consideration
RS 53 - Acceptance by performance
An offer can be accepted by performance only if the offer invites such an acceptance
Beginning to render the performance does not constitute acceptance if within a reasonable time the offeree exercises reasonable diligence to notify the offeror of non-acceptance
RS 54 - Acceptance by performance and the necessity of notification to offeror
No notice is necessary to make an acceptance of performance effective unless the offer requests such a notification
However, if the offeree has reason to know that the offeror has no adequate means of learning of the performance with reasonable promptness and certainty, then there must be notice.
To be a valid K, the offeree must exercise reasonable diligence to notify the offeror of the acceptance or the offeror must learn of the performance within a reasonable time or the offeror indicates that notification of acceptance is not required.
RS 56 - Acceptance by Promise + Notification
Acceptance by promise requires that the offeree either exercise reasonable diligence to notify the offeror of acceptance or that the offeror receive the acceptance seasonably (except as stated in § 69)
RS 57 - Effect of equivocal acceptance
Acceptance in ambiguous terms is not binding unless reasonably understood by the offeror to be acceptance