LAW - MISREPRESENTATION Flashcards
Misrepresentation Definition
An actionable misrepresentation is an UNTRUE STATEMENT OF FACT WHICH INDUCES a person to enter a contract
ACT
Governed by both the common law and the Misrepresentation Act 1967 (MA 1967)
Key concept
A party must be able to have a contract set aside and/or claim compensation if there has been misrepresentation.
For misrepresentation there must be
An untrue statement of fact and NOT:
- Opinion
- Forecasts/statements of intention
- Trading puffery
- Statements of Law
- Silence or non-disclosure
= which induces a person to enter a contract
An untrue statement of fact and not opinion
Opinion cannot be misrepresented if that opinion is incorrect.
It has to be an uninformed opinion ( Bisset v Wilkinson, 1927)
Case study - Bissett v Wilkinson (1927)
Case - W entered into a contract to sell B farmland.
- W told B that the farm could carry 2,000 sheep - Land has never been used as a sheep farm - After 2 years of unsuccessful farming, B brought an action to cancel contract and get his money back
Issue: Fact or Opinion
Ruling - Sellers statement was a matter of opinion, and thus any statement to capacity would be an estimate
The statement must not contradict other facts known by the party giving the opinion
Case study - Smith v Land & House Property Corp (1884)
C - Mr Smith advertised hotel for sale, stated that it was let to Mr Fleck - ‘Desirable tennant’
- Fleck owed rent + court action
- Smith claimed his statement was opinion
I - Fact or opinion - Equal knowledge?
R - Held there was a misrepresentation relied on by LHP, Smith had no reason than otherwise to think that.
It is more likely to be an opinion if the giver is not better informed than the receiver.
Case study - ESSO petroleum Ltd v Mardon (1976)
C - Mr Mardon was buying a franchise of ESSO
- Esso estimated that the station would sell 200,000 gallons a year
- Mardon signed a 3 year tennancy- sales were less than half
I - Fact or opinion - Expert knowledge?
R - Held there was a Misrepresentation relied on by Mardon
- Esso professed to have a special knowledge.
An untrue statement of fact and not forecasts/statements of intention
- A statement of future intention is not generally a statement of fact
- Unless the person does not intend to perform that future action
Case study - Edgington v Fitzmaurice (1885)
C - Edgington lent money to a company on the basis it would be used to expand company
- Directors intended to use it to pay debts
I - Misrep - Forecasts/statements of intention
R - The directors were liable
An untrue statement of fact and not trading puffery
- A statement of fact does not include exaggerated advertising or vague boasts.
- The court will decide if a reasonable person would take the statement seriously
Case study - Trading puffery
Dimmock v Hallett (1866)
C - Some land was being auctioned off
- Land was described as having 'fertile and improvable" - It was a poor quality of land - Dimmock sued on the grounds of misrepresentation
I - trading puffery
R - The Court of Appeal held that the statement about the land ‘fertile’ was merely a ‘flourishing description’ and did not entitle the buyer to rescind.
An untrue statement of fact and not statements of law
- In theory no one can be mislead as to what the law is because everyone is presumed to know the law.
- However if the law is misrepresented it is actionable
Statements of law - Case Study
Pankhania v Hackney London Borough Council (2002)
C - The claimants bought a property, part of which was a car park
Council stated that tenants had 3 months notice
- Incorrect as the occupier was protected business Tennant under the Landlord and Tennant act 1954
I - Statements of law
R - The sellers incorrectly stated the law, there was remedy for misrep
An untrue statement of fact and not silence or non-disclosure
- The general rule is there there is no legal obligation to disclose a material fact known to them
- ‘caveat emptor’ - let the buyer beware
- There are exceptions to the rule
Not silence or non-disclosure case study
Fletcher v Krell (1873)
C - An applicant for a job as a governess failed to disclose the fact she had previously been married and remained silent on the point
I - not silence or non disclosure
R - It was held that there was no misrepresentation
There are EXEMPTIONS TO THE RULE
- Representations by conduct
Case Study - R v Barnard (1837)
C - Defendant wore an Oxford undergrad gown to an Oxford shop, to qualify for their credit scheme
I - Representations by conduct
R - There was misrepresentation
There are EXEMPTIONS TO THE RULE
- Deliberately concealing defects in goods
Case study - Gordon v Selico (1988)
C - Mr Gordon was to purchase a 99-year lease of a flat owned by the defendant Selico Ltd.
- Flat was poor conditions painted over dry rot
I - Deliberately concealing defects in goods
R - Held by the CoA that painting to conceal amounted to a misrepresentation
There are EXEMPTIONS TO THE RULE
- Half-Truths
Case study - Dimmock v Hallett (1866)
C - Farm land was described as having a Tennant but had given notice to quit
I - half-Truths
R - Statement was misleading as it was assumed they wouldn’t be leaving
Misrepresentation - INDUCEMENTS
- The statement of fact must induce the party to enter the contract
- If there are misrepresentations that do not induce the party, then they are irrelevant
INDUCEMENT - Case Study - Bannerman v White (1861)
C - Bannerman formed a contract with White, regarding the purchase of Hops
- specifically enquired if the hops had received a sulphur treatment - White assured they were untreated
I - Inducement
R - The assurance WAS a condition of contract.
CHALLENGES WITH PROVING INDUCEMENT
Where the representee has the opportunity to discover the truth but fails to take it
Case Study - Redgrave v Hurd (1881)
C - An elderly partner wanted to sell 1/2 his business, he gave the prospective purchaser details of the income and could be checked by documents
- Redgrave didn’t check, income was less than said
I - representee has the opportunity to discover the truth but fails to take it
R - Contract was rescinded on the grounds of innocent misrepresentation, relying on the representations as enough, no duty to inspect the papers.
CHALLENGES WITH PROVING INDUCEMENT
- Where the representee tests the accuracy but fails to discover the truth
- If the misrepresentation is fraudulent it will be actionable (policy)
- If it is not fraudulent then it is not actionable because the representee will be relying on his own inspection, and will be induced by that
Where the representee tests the accuracy but fails to discover the truth
Case Study - Attwood vs Small (1838)
C - Seller of mine exaggerated claims about the potential
- The purchasers appointed their own sellers
- Accounts really exaggerated income
- Claimant sought to rescind the contract based on reports
I - Third party tests accuracy of statement
R - Claimant was unsuccessful, due to using external party to check