Misrepresentation Flashcards
What is a vitiating factor?
-Makes contract voidable.
-Contract = no legal standing
-Court may treat as if never existed
-Diff from repudiation
What are the two vitiating factors to know?
-Misrepresentation
-Economic duress
What is a representation?
-statements made during negotiations to persuade the other party to enter a contract. Eg the views are very nice
How does a representation turn into a misrepresentation?
-If representations are false then this is a misrepresentation
What can be done if a misrepresentation occurs?
The claimant can ask for the contract to be made void
When does a misrepresentation occur in a contract?
-Before the contract, it is not a term
What are the 4 requirements to prove that there has been a misrepresentation?
-A false statement
-Of material fact
-Made by a party to the contract
-That induces the other party to enter the contract
False statement and name of case
-Statement that isn’t true (doesn’t matter if person did/did not know it was not true)
-Doesn’t have to be written or verbal, can be a misleading picture
-Spice Girls v Aprilia
Spice girls v Aprilia
-Signed sponsorship agreement with Aprilia, while agreement negotiated Geri Halliwell gave notice to leave. Not known to Aprilia. Promotional films with all the girls, when one left made the films worthless.
-Court decide that is was misrepresentation as all attended so showed that none intended to leave
General rule about false statement and case name
-Silence cannot be a false statement
-Fletcher v Krell
Fletcher v Krell
-Woman applied for job of governess and not asked and didn’t say that she was divorced, in Victorian times meant that she wouldn’t get a job
-No misrepresentation as she was not under duty to disclose marital status as hadn’t been asked
What are the exceptions to the silence rule
-Circumstances change
-A half-truth
-Where the relationship between the parties is based on trust
-In uberrimae fidei contracts (utmost good faith) eg insurance
Where circumstances change and case name
-If true statement made but becomes untrue before contract agreed and doesn’t declare then D’s silence here seen as false statement
-With v O’Flanagan
With v O’Flanagan
-Doctor accurately stated profits of medical practice with view of inducing purchases to buy it. After this and before contract, many patients left due to him being ill. Original statement inaccurate
-he had to tell purchaser of the situation
A half truth and case name
-Making statement that isn’t wholly true (car had one careful driver)
-Dimmock v Hallat
Dimmock v Hallat
-A seller of land told purchaser truthfully there were tenants on land, what purchaser wanted, didn’t complete statement and tell him they were all leaving.
-Misrep
Relationship of trust and case name
-Eg solicitor client, financial adviser
-Tate v Williamson
Tate v Williamson
-Financial adviser advised client to sell some land for less than half value so he could clear his debts, advisor purchased the land himself but did not tell client
-Breach of trust - misrep
Uberrimae Fidei contracts and case name
-Business, contracts of upmost good faith like insurance.
-Lambert v Co-operative Insurance
Lambert v Co-operative insurance
-Woman renewed her jewellery insurance and didn’t’t tell company that her husband had been convicted of conspiracy to steal
-Imporant and would have impacted on their decision to renew so silence seen as misrepresentation
-police void and refused to pay