Chp 5 Contracts Flashcards
contract
is a special kind of agreement, either written or oral, that involves legally binding obligations between two or more parties
Express Contract
is one in which the parties have an oral or written agreement, equally legal and binding
implied contract
is one that is inferred by law, based on the conduct of the parties such as a handshake or similar conduct.
voidable contact
is one in which one party, but not he other has the right to escape from its legal obligations under the contracts
elements of contract
the law will enforce contracts only when they are executed between persons who are competent; that is, those with the legal and mental capacity to contract
offer
is a promise by one party to do (or not to do) something if the other party agrees to ( or not do) something
an offer must be communicated to the other party so that it can be accepted or rejected
consideration
requires that each party to a contract give up something of value in exchange for something of value
breach of contract
occurs when there is a violation of one or more of the terms of the contracts
partnership
comprises two or more persons who agree to carry on a business for profit and to share profits and losses in some proportions, can be created by the parties actions without a written or oral agreement
agent
is one who has the power to contract for and bind another person, who is known as the principal.
corporations can act only through agents (their officers)
apparent or ostensible agent
is one who a third person believes is acting on behalf of the principal.
independent contractor
is an individual who agrees to undertake work without being under the direct control or direction of another
-personally responsible for their own negligent acts
condition precedent
is an act or event that must happen or be performed by one party before the other party has any responsibility to perform under the contract
- express condition is formally written into the contract in specific terms
- implied condition is one in which although the parties might not have specifically mentioned the condition, it can reasonably be assumed that the parties intended the condition to be enforced
performance
is the act of doing what is required by a contract, each party is bound to perform the promises according to the stipulated terms of a contract.
defenses permitting nonperformance of contract
fraud, mistakes, duress, illegal contract, impossibility, and statute of limitation
fraud
intentionally misrepresents a material fact or term of the contract and intends that the other party rely on that misrepresentation.
–victim of fraud does not perform under a contract
mistake of fact
is an incorrect belief regarding a fact, both parties must make the mistake
mistake of law
is an incorrect judgement of the legal consequences of known facts.
duress
is the use of unlawful threats or pressure to force an individual to act against his or her will, an act performed under duress is not legally binding
illegal contract
is a contract who formation, object, or performance is against the law or contrary to public policy that no court would upload or enforce.
impossibility
- certain facts might have existed at the time the contract was executed or
- they might have arisen subsequent to the formation of the contract
- -contracts that are impossible to perform do not have to be carried out by the parties to a contract
statute of limitations
period of time that a party to take action to enforce contract rights by suing for damages caused by a breach of the contract or taking other action can be barred from doing so.
general damages
are those that can be expected to arise from a breach of a contract
consequential damages
are those that occur because of some unexpected, unusual, or strange development involved in the particular contract in dispute