week one & two Flashcards
how does peel define a contract
A contract is an agreement giving rise to obligations which are enforces or recognised by law
contracts involve ____ promises and exchange
mutual
what is the informality feature of contract law
whether contracts have to be in a particular form - in nz they din’t and a written and oral contract are just as enforceable in court
what is the ubiquity feature of contract law
contracts are ubiquitous - they are everywhere and all around. you cannot get away from them
what is the variety feature of contract law
many different types of contracts and varieties that most contracts fall into
what is the importance feature of contracts
exchanging/purchasing is fundamental to our lives and contracts are the legal form of those exchanges
how many features of contract are there
4
what are the 4 features of contract
informality, ubiquity, variety, importance
what was a contract related problem in the english civil war
fraudulent oral contracts
what did fraudulent oral contracts in the english civil war lead to
the Statute of Frauds
what were the problems with the statute of frauds
parties acting in compliance to a contract and then a court refusing to enforce it because it wasn’t in writing
a different type of fraud where people entered into oral agreements and later pulled out saying there was no agreement because it needed to be in writing
what is left of the statute of frauds in nz today
property law act s24, 25, 27 - selling land has to be in writing and so does any situation where a person is a guarantee to an owing of money
are there statutes where ad hoc provisions require contracts to be in writing
yes - employment relations act 2000, individual agreement must be in writing
a contract usually involves a mutual making of promises/exchange. can there be a one sided contract?
yes
what is a simple contract
traditional term for an exchange contract
what was required for a contract under seal
signed, sealed, delivered - written, signed and sealed by the party giving the thing, delivered to the other party
what was required for a contract by deed
written, properly executed (signed and the signature witnessed) and delivered
how many requirements are there for contracts
4
what is an offer
the expression of the willingness to contract immediately upon acceptance
define an offeror
person who makes an offer
define an offeree
person to whom an offer is made
who are the parties in Smith v Hughes
Mr Smith (farmer) and Mr Hughes (racehorse trainer)
what did the farmer want to sell to the racehorse trainer in smith v hughes
some oats, he left a sample
did the racehorse trainer buy oats from the farmer in smith v hughes
yes, he sent a letter offering to buy some oats for 34 shillings
what happened when the oats arrived to the trainer in smith v hughes
trainer found out they were new oats, he wanted old oats which are easier for horses to digest. he refused the delivery and so the farmer sued him for the price
what was the trainers vs the farmers argument in smith v hughes
trainer: he only ever wanted old oats and the price was steep for new oats
farmer: sample was new oats and the letter of offer never mentioned that the offer was for old oats
what was the question for the court in smith v hughes
what was the offer made: was the offer for old oats or new oats matching the sample
what did blackburn j’s comment in smith v hughes mean
it doesnt matter what the actual intention of the offer is, it matters what a reasonable oferee would think the offer is
what was the result of smith v hughes
there was a binding contract for the sale of the oats, and the farmer was entitled to that contract being enforce
what happened in OT African Lines v Vickers (intially)
vickers had a contractual dispute and as a result OTAL had claimed $700,000 from Vickers. At a settlement conference, Vickers was willing to pay $150,000 USD but OTAL wanted $210,000 USD. There was no agreement. Vickers solicitor sent an offer of 150,000 pounds, which was around $210,000. OTAL accepted. The solicitor said it was a mistake.
what was the question in OTAL v Vickers
was the offer for 150,000 pounds as it appeared, or $150,000 as intended
what was the result of OTAL v Vickers
Vickers had to pay the 150,000 pounds because there was an agreement to settle at that amount. if Vickers could show OTAL knew or ought to know that there had been a mistake then Vickers would not be bound
what were the facts towards it being a mistake in OTAL v Vickers
previously dealing in USD, offer was higher
what were the facts towards it not being a mistake in OTAL v Vickers
the offer was about $210,000 which is what OTAL wanted and OTAL may have thought they changed their mind and agreed with the offer
what was the result of OTAL v Vickers
OTAL weren’t to reasonably have known that it was a mistake and Vickers were bound by the contract
where it is CLEAR there has been a mistake ____
the offer is not binding
what does subjective mean
actual intention
what does objective mean
the appearance of a persons conduct, as it would appear to a reasonable person
what was the telegraph conversation in Harvey v Facey
“Will you sell us Bumper Hall Pen? Telegraph lowest cash price”
“Lowest price for Bumper Hall Pen 900 pounds”
“We agree to buy Bumper Hall Pen for the sum of 900 pounds asked by you”
did the PC decide “lowest price for Bumper Hall Pen 900 pounds” was an offer
they decided it wasn’t
a statement like ‘lowest price for Bumper Hall Pen 900 pounds” is also known as?
an invitation to treat (negotiate)
what does to treat me
to negotiate
what was the business model in Grainger v Gough
grainger showed customers a wine price list at his store in london and customers placed orders with him which he sent to a french wine merchant. the french merchant decided whether to accept the order and then dealt directly with the english client