Pre-Contractual Liability Flashcards
William Lacey (Hounslow) v Davis (1957)
Barry J
If builder is invited to tender for certain work, there is no implication that he will be paid for the (sometimes considerable) work involved in arriving at his price
He undertakes it as a gamble, and its cost is part of overhead expense of his buines
E Farnsworth, “Precontractual Liability and Preliminary Agreemennts: Fair Dealing and Failed Negotiations” (1987)
Courts have traditionally accorded parties freedom to negotiate w/out risk of PCL
As general rule, party to PC negotiations can break them off w/out libaility at any time for any reason
CL’s “aleatory view”, a party that enters negotiations in hope of gain that will result fro ultimate agreemnt bears risk of whatever loss results if the other party breaks off negotiations
Rests on concern that limiting freedom of negotiation might discourage party from entering them
Crossco no4 Unlimited v Jolan (2012)
For the law in general to provide scope for claims in respect of unsuccessful negotiations would be likely to inhibit the efficiient pursuit of commerical neotiations, which is a necessary part of proper entrepeneurial activity
Economic argument based on idea that lefal rules chnage people’s actions, so we should engineer legal ruels that incentivise economic efficiency
Why have PCL?
Sometimes it is efficent for C to udnertake work ebfore contract is concluded
Might make it quicker to get product out on com[letion, or help define what the project is going to be.
Since it is efficient for these things to happen, would expect parties to have collateral contract for C to do this work and D to bear some of the risk.
Don’t need legal rules there, parties can form collateral contract
Walford v Miles (1992)
Lord Ackner
Reason why agreememt to negotiate is unenforceable is because it lacks necessary certainty.
How can court objectively decide of proper reason existed fro termination of negotiations.
“Good faith”? Inconsistent w adversarial position of negotiating parties.
Schwartz and Scott “Precontractual Liability and Preliminary Agreements (2007)
Parties make a preliminary agreement bc they cannot write a complete contract at the outset.
Profitable project may take many forms, and which form will work is unknown at the start
Parties invest in interm as this accelerates realisation of returns
Also, investment clariies what type of project could succeed
Prelimiary agreements are thus commonly exploratory
It is efficient for contract law to protect the promisee’s reliance interest if his promisor deviated from an agreed investment sequence
A reliance recovery will encourage parties to make preliminary agreements and will deter some strategic behaviour
O Ben-Shahar and J Pottow “On the Stickiness of Default Rules””
“unfamiliar terms may…raise suspicions and scare away potential counterparties.”
R Scott ‘A Theory of Self-Enforcing Indefinite Agreements’ (2003)
Commercial parties may deliberately opt for incomplete agreements as they prefer to trust that notions of reciprocal fairness will provide a sufficient incentive for performance.
What is current position of PCL in UK law?
Soetimes use UE like in Cobbe, sometimes collateral contract, sometimes estoppel
Not always clear on what basis the court makes the award
Countrywide Communications v ICL Pathway (2000)
Nicholas Strauss QC
impossible to formulate clear general principle governing the different factual situatiosn which have arisen let alone those which could easily arise in other cases.
In absence of duty of GF, this is unsurprising
Difficulty caused by categorising as UE for D what is really a loss unfarily sustained b C
Much to be said for broad pricniple enabling either to be recompensed, but none is clearly established in EL
Court may impose obligaiton to pay for benefits resulting from services performed in course of a contract whether the negotiations were expressly made subject ot contract or not
Walfor v Miles (1992), Limits to contractual claims
Lord Ackner
Duty to negotiate in GF is as unworkable in practice as it is inherently inconsistent w the position of a negotiating party.
WHile negotiations are in existnece either party is entitled to withdraw, any time any reason
Can be thus no obligaiton to continue to negotiate until there is a “proper reason” tow thdraw
Accordingly, bare agreemtn to engotate has no legal content
May & Butcher v R
Lord Buckmaster
pricnipel of contract law that an agreement between 2 parties to enter into an agreement in whcih some crtical part of the contract amtter is left undetermined is not contract at all
Perfeclty possible for 2 people to contract that they will sign a documetn that contains all the relevant terms, but not to agree that they will in future agree on a matter that is vital to the arrangement and has not yet been determined
Finding a Principal Contract
SGA 1979, s8:
(1) The price in a COS may be fixed by the contract, or may be left to be fixed in a manner agreed by the contract, or may be determined by the course of dealing between the parties.
(2) Where the price is not determined as mentioned in ss(1) the buyer must pay a reasonable price.
(3) What is a reasonable price is a question of fact dependent on the circumstances of each particular case.
Way v Latilla (1937)
Shared understanding that C’s services were to eb paid for was given effect to through implied contractula term for reasonable remuneration
Lord Atkin: there existed between the aprties a contract of employment under whcih C agreed to work for D in circumstnaces that clearly indicate the work was not to be gratuitous
C was entitled to a reasonable remuneration on the implied contract to pay him quantum meruit
RTS Flexible Systems Ltd v Molkerei Alois Muller GmbH (2010) SC
agreed stipulation that parties’ agreement should not become effective until each party has executed and exchanged a counterpart did not prevent contract arising without those
Lord Clarke
circumstances pont to fact that there was a binding agreement
Agreemtn to vary contract was reached w/out suggestion that this was subject to contract
Clear inference = parites agreed tow aive subject ot contract clause
Reasonable honest businessman would have concluded the parties intended work be carried out for agreed price on agreed term, w/out necessity for formal written contract, which had been overtaken by events
Brewer Street v Barclays
“subject to contract” negotiations for grant of lease
C agreed to make alterations for procepective tenant, who agrees to pay for them - negotiations fail and alteration give no benefit to C
Somercell L says D is contractually liable as resul of promise to pay
Denning LJ prefers resitutionary analysis as any contractual laibility was condicitonal on grant of lease and not ocntractual laibility can be imposed
“the parties themselves did not envisage the situations which has emerged adn did not provide for it: and we do not knwo what they would have provided had they envisaged it”
Cobbe v Yeoman’s Row
Lord Scott in personam remedy (a)
Unjust enrichment
“Since the planning permission was obtained at the expense of [C] it is very easy to conclude that [D] has been enriched at his expense and, in the circumstances that I need not again rehearse, unjustly enriched.”
Cobbe v Yeoman’s Row
Lord Scott in personam remedy (b)
quantum meruit
C did not intend to provide hsi services gratuitously, nor did D understand the contrary.
D knew he provided services i xpectation of becoming purchaser, so no fee was agreed
In event expected contract no materialise, quantum meruit = CL remedy to which C = entitled
amount would represent extend of the UE for wheich D should be accountable to C