Misrepresentation Flashcards
What is a Misrepresentation?
4 Requirements?
A misrepresentation is a false statement of fact or law made by one party to another, which, whilst not being a term of the contract, induces the other party to enter the contract
1• Unambiguous false statement of existing fact or law
2• Addressed to the party misled
3• Intended to be acted upon
4• Material / which induces the making of the contract
Effects of a misrepresentation?
The effect of an actionable misrepresentation is to make the contract voidable, giving the innocent party the right to rescind the contract and/or claim damages
Mere Puffs?
Not a misrepresentation
Dimmock v Hallett (1866)
With v O’Flanagan [1936] Facts
- Involved a doctors practice
- Involved the sale of a doctors practice
- Questions regarding the value of it
- Worth about £2000 a year, true
- When sale happened, not longer true
- False when the sale took place
- Amounted to actionable misrepresentation
- The day of the effectiveness of the contract, statements should be true on that day
- If the statements become no longer true, they can be a misrepresentation
With v O’Flanagan [1936] Principle
- The day of the effectiveness of the contract, statements should be true on that day
- If the statements become no longer true, they can be a misrepresentation
Conlon v Simms [2006] Facts
• Involved a partnership (solicitors)
• Simms was a dodgy guy, on a watch list
• He was suspended from practicing
• Practicing certificate was suspended
• Manage to convince Conlon that everything was fine
• Law society brought proceedings against him
• Found he did many wrong things
o Fraud, violation of ethics.. etc
• Brought an action to get money from Conlon’s firm
• They argued that he misrepresented himself
• Court accepted misrepresentation
• But they did not induce Conlon to enter into the relationship
• They were not Induced to enter the relationship
Conlon v Simms [2006] Principle
Non-disclosure may be a misrepresentation
Are statements of opinion/belief or intention Misreps?
No
X’s statement of opinion or belief:
• Bisset v. Wilkinson (1927)
X’s statement of intention:
• Wales v. Wadham
Bisset v. Wilkinson (1927) Facts
- B bought land from W, wanted to farm sheep
- Land was in NZ, they lived in UK
- W said land was great, can support 2000 sheep
- Both parties knew that W lived in UK and did not farm sheep
- Found out land was not that good
- Court found that W was not an expert, not a statement of fact
Bisset v. Wilkinson (1927) Principle
X’s statement of opinion or belief cannot be a Misrepresentation
Wales v. Wadham Facts
- Husband left wife for another women
- Wife said she wont remarry in divorce, got more money
- Before conclusion of divorce, she agreed to get remarried
- Did not tell court
- Husband contested agreement
- Court said no, not a misrepresentation
- At the time, she did not intend to get remarried
Wales v. Wadham Principle
X’s statement of intention cannot be a Misrepresentation
Pankhania v Hackney London Borough Council [2002] Facts
- P bought property from D
- Induced by a representation the council made
- Said other living were contractual
- Can terminate upon 3 months notice
- Not true, misrep
- Misrep of law
- Protected under L&T Act 1954
- P’s action was accepted
- It was innocent misrep
- Able to claim damages
- Could not rescind the contract
Pankhania v Hackney London Borough Council [2002] Principle
Representations of law may be misrepresentations
Kleinwort Benson Ltd v Lincoln City Council (1999) Facts
o K made a loan to company owned by M
o M said it was policy to deal with debts
o Did not deal with the debt
o K said it was a contractual promise, if not, it was a representation
o Held: it was neither
• It was a statement of intention
• Statement was no longer true
• Misrepresentation is a statement of fact
Kleinwort Benson Ltd v Lincoln City Council (1999) Principle
Misrepresentation is a statement of fact
Misrepresentation must be addressed to who?
- addressed to the party misled
Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney v. R.H. Brown & Co. (1972)
Commercial Banking Co. of Sydney v. R.H. Brown & Co. (1972) Principle
The misrepresentation must be addressed to the party misled
Misrep must be intended to be acted upon? True or False
cases (2)
True
Peek v Gurney [1873]
Andrews v Mockford [1896]
Peek v Gurney [1873] Facts
- P purchased shares on the basis of false representations
- Court held that this perspective only applies for the first people who applied for shares
- It is clearly addressed to that party
- If the statement is intended to be passed on to others, it is a misrepresentation
Peek v Gurney [1873] Principle
Misrep must be intended to be acted upon
Andrews v Mockford [1896] Facts
- Shares were at low price
- Wanted to sell more
- Sent ‘expert’ to south Africa
- Said they found gold
- This was false
- An attempt to sell shares
- Court said A can sue
- Intended to be acted upon
Andrews v Mockford [1896] Principle
Misrep must be intended to be acted upon
Misrepresentation:
Induced?
Material?
The misrepresentation must be an inducement to entering the contract, i.e. misled party must have actually relied on it (and in that sense must also be a material one)
An inducement suffices, need not be the only one
cases (2)
Smith v Eric S Bush [1990]
Edgington v Fitzmaurice [1885]
Types of Misrepresentation? (3)
1) Fraudulent Misrepresentation
2) Negligent Misrepresentation
3) Innocent Misrepresentation
Fraudulent misrep: requirements (3)
Derry v Peek (1889)
A) Knowingly
B) Without belief in its truth, or
C) Recklessly, careless as to whether it is true or false
Derry v Peek (1889) Facts
• Tramway company
• Special act for the company
• Act said carriages would be move by horsepower
• Said, if they got consent, they could you steam power instead
• D bought shares with the knowledge that they were changing to steam power
• D brought an action
• Court: not enough to just establish a false statement
• Must also establish liability on the defendant
• Defendant must know he is not telling the truth
• P was not acting acting fraudulent
o They honeslty believed they were changing
Derry v Peek (1889) Principle
a Fraudulent misrep must be
• False
• Made knowingly
• Made wrecklessly
Duty of Care principle applies to which type of misrep?
Negligent misrep
Hedley Byrne v. Heller (HL1964) Facts
- Was a firm of ad agents
- Wanted to work for Easy power
- Wanted to make sure they could pay
- Easy power’s bank was Heller
- Heller said they were good
- Hedley relied on this statement
- Hedley lost money in unpaid bills
- Court:
- if you are in a position in responsibility, you have a duty of care.
- You must make sure that your statements are accurate
- Was there a special relationship between the 2 parties
- Problem: they were not entering into a contract with each other
- Requirements for tort of negligence:
- A) Person making statement knows that party relying on it will rely without further enquiry
- B) Person making the statement is aware of the purpose for which the statement is required
- C) Reasonable for innocent party to act on statement without further enquiry
- D) Statement acted on to innocent party’s detriment
- E) Reasonable person in that situation would not have made the statement
Hedley Byrne v. Heller (HL1964) Principle
5 requirements for Tort of Negligence misrep
- A) Person making statement knows that party relying on it will rely without further enquiry
- B) Person making the statement is aware of the purpose for which the statement is required
- C) Reasonable for innocent party to act on statement without further enquiry
- D) Statement acted on to innocent party’s detriment
- E) Reasonable person in that situation would not have made the statement
Esso Petroleum v. Mardon [1976] Facts
- Post Hedley v Heller
- M hired E for a period of 3 years
- M did what he could to sell more petrol, but still lost money
- E tried to take the site back from M
- M said E made a misreprersentation about how much petrol he would sell in a year
- Court said it was misrepresentation
- who knows better than E
- E are experts, in a much better position to know
Esso Petroleum v. Mardon [1976] Principle
Statement of opinions or belief may be a misrepresentation if the person is a expert or in a position to know
Caparo v. Dickman (HL1990) Facts
?
Caparo v. Dickman (HL1990) Principle
?
Innocent Misrep Cases (2)
Newbigging v Adam (1866)
Whittington v Seal Hayne (1900)
Newbigging v Adam (1866) Facts
- N was induced to enter a partnership contract by misrepresentation
- Was it innocent or not?
- Court said remedy for innocent misrepresentation is rescission of the contract
Newbigging v Adam (1866) Principle
Innocent misrep
•Court said remedy for innocent misrepresentation is rescission of the contract
Two Main Remedies to Misrep?
Damages (common law)
Rescission of the contract
Contractual claim for Misrep?
No
Unless it has become a term of the contract
Damages are available when? (2)
Tort (where misrepresentation was fraudulent or negligent)
Under ss. 2(1), 2(2) Misrepresentation Act 1967 (includes for innocent misrepresentation)
What is Rescission?
try to put X into position he was in before the contract, and trying to ensure X is not unjustly enriched at Y’s expense, i.e. contract set aside both retrospectively and prospectively
Can C get both damages and rescission?
Yes
- In tort or s.2 Misrep Act 1967
Not for breach of contract
C has 2 choices for remedies to Misrep?
1) Rescind contract
OR
2) Affirm contract + Seek Damages
Car & Universal Finance v Caldwell [1965]
Inntrepreneur Pub Co (CPC) Ltd v Sweeney [2002]