Contracts Commons^™

Case Comment: Smyth V. Szep Unsettling Settlements: Of Unconscionability And Other Things, David Vaver

David Vaver

The recent decision of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Smyth v. Szep once again canvasses the validity of releases signed by injured victims in favour of insurance companies and once again plunges into the murky waters of contractual unconscionability. Both issues have become more or less permanent squatters on judicial calendars throughout North America, and it seems worthwhile to consider why this is so and whether something can be done to reduce their tenure at least in Canada.

Panel 2: Restitution Law, Andrew Kull, Dan Priel, Benjamin Geva, Poonam Puri

Poonam Puri

PANEL II: RESTITUTION LAW: Poonam Puri, Associate Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School; Speaker: Andrew Kull, Professor, Boston University, "A Consideration Which Happens to Fail"; Speaker: Dan Priel, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, "Justice and Unjust Enrichment"; Discussant: Benjamin Geva, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School.

Suntrust Banks, Inc., Et Al., Order On Motion For Partial Judgment On The Pleadings, Alice D. Bonner

Georgia Business Court Opinions

No abstract provided.

Three Recent Works On Contractual Interpretation [Part 2], John D. Mccamus

John D. McCamus

No abstract provided.

Cases And Materials On Contracts, Third Edition, John Mccamus, Stephen Waddams, M. Weldron, Jason Neyers, Michael Trebilcock

John D. McCamus

Cases and Materials on Contracts offers a comprehensive foundation for the development of a full understanding of Canadian contract law. Recent cases and materials, drawn from Canadian, Commonwealth, and American sources, have been carefully selected and edited to deliver a thorough and seamless exploration of contract law in Canada. Notes, comments, questions, and problem scenarios are incorporated liberally throughout the casebook, to fully illuminate legal intricacies and subtleties.

Restitution And The Supreme Court: The Continuing Progress Of The Unjust Enrichment Principle, John Mccamus

John D. McCamus

No abstract provided.

Franchising In The Shadow Of Contract Law: A New Fidelity For Business Relations, Richard Haigh

Richard Haigh

No abstract provided.

Panel 2: Restitution Law, Andrew Kull, Dan Priel, Benjamin Geva, Poonam Puri

Benjamin Geva

PANEL II: RESTITUTION LAW: Poonam Puri, Associate Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School; Speaker: Andrew Kull, Professor, Boston University, "A Consideration Which Happens to Fail"; Speaker: Dan Priel, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, "Justice and Unjust Enrichment"; Discussant: Benjamin Geva, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School.

Authority For Sale And Privity Of Contract: The Proprietary Basis Of The Right To The Proceeds Of Sale In The Common Law, Benjamin Geva

Benjamin Geva

Upon an authorized sale of goods, the owner's ability to recover the price from the buyer can be explained either by his property in the goods or by a contractual relationship. This article deals with the right to recover the price in the context of an historical and theoretical analysis of the right to the proceeds of a sale at common law. It is suggested that property is the basis of this right, rather than a contractual nexus. Part I presents the sale of goods by an agent of an undisclosed principal as a model situation in which the right …

Panel 2: Restitution Law, Andrew Kull, Dan Priel, Benjamin Geva, Poonam Puri

Dan Priel

PANEL II: RESTITUTION LAW: Poonam Puri, Associate Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School; Speaker: Andrew Kull, Professor, Boston University, "A Consideration Which Happens to Fail"; Speaker: Dan Priel, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, "Justice and Unjust Enrichment"; Discussant: Benjamin Geva, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School.

What Is A Contract, Sidney W. Delong

South Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Contracts, Persons And Property: A Tribute To Margaret Jane Radin, Ruth L. Okediji

Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review

In 2011, the United States was only just beginning to emerge from what some claimed to be the most significant economic crisis since the Great Depression. The devastation wrought by unregulated subprime mortgages unfolded as a political, legal, financial and social tragedy. Millions of homeowners had purchased homes for amounts they most certainly could not afford, with terms and conditions written on documents they even more certainly had never read. Many of those most severely affected were, as one might expect, racial minorities and underrepresented groups, but plenty of other members of society were also caught in the intricately woven …

Privity's Shadow: Exculpatory Terms In Extended Forms Of Private Ordering, Mark P. Gergen

Florida State University Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Way We Pay Now: Understanding And Evaluating Performance-Based Executive Pay, David I. Walker

Faculty Scholarship

Over the last ten years, performance-based equity pay, and particularly performance shares, have displaced stock options as the primary instrument for compensating executives of large, public companies in the U.S. This article examines that transformation, analyzing the structure and incentive properties of these newly important instruments and evaluating the benefits and risks from an investor’s perspective. Notable observations include the following: Although technically “stock” instruments, performance shares mimic the incentive characteristics of options. But performance shares avoid the tax, accounting, and other constraints that have led to uniform grants of non-indexed, at the money options. Performance share plans can be …

Mandatory Arbitration In Consumer Finance And Investor Contracts, Michael S. Barr

Articles

Mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses are pervasive in consumer financial and investor contracts—for credit cards, bank accounts, auto loans, broker-dealer services, and many others. These clauses often ill serve households. Consumers are typically presented with contracts on a “take it or leave it” basis, with no ability to negotiate over terms. Arbitration provisions are often not clearly disclosed, and in any event are not salient for consumers, who do not focus on the importance of the provision in the event that a dispute over the contract later arises, and who may misforecast the likelihood of being in such a dispute. The …

Contract Design And The Shading Problem, Robert E. Scott

Marquette Law Review

Despite recent advances in our understanding of contracting behavior, economic contract theory has yet to identify the principal causes and effects of contract breach. In this Article, I argue that opportunism is a primary explanation for why commercial parties deliberately breach their contracts. I develop a novel variation on opportunism that I identify as “shading,” a behavior that more accurately describes the vexing problems courts face in rooting out strategic behavior in contract litigation. I provide some empirical support for the claim that shading behavior is both pervasive in litigation over contract breach and extremely difficult for generalist courts to …

The Uniform Commercial Code Survey: Introduction, Jennifer S. Martin, Colin P. Marks, Wayne Barnes

Faculty Scholarship

The survey that follows highlights the most important developments of 2014 dealing with domestic and international sales of goods, personal property leases, payments, letters of credit, documents of title, investment securities, and secured transactions. Along with the usual descriptions of interesting judicial decisions in these areas, which are highlighted in the survey, there has also been important legislative progress. The 2010 amendments to U.C.C. Article 9 have been adopted in forty-nine states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and introduced in Oklahoma. Those revisions were summarized in the Introduction to the 2009 survey. Additionally, the 2012 amendments to U.C.C. …

With Marriage On The Decline And Cohabitation On The Rise, What About Marital Rights For Unmarried Partners?, Lawrence W. Waggoner

Articles

This article draws attention to a cultural shift in the formation of families that has been and is taking place in this country and in the developed world. Part I uses recent government data to trace the decline of marriage and the rise of cohabitation in the United States. Between 2000 and 2010, the population grew by 9.71 %, but the husband and wife households only grew by 3.7%, while the unmarried couple households grew by 41.4%. A counter-intuitive finding is that the early 21st century data show little correlation between the marriage rate and economic conditions. Because of the …

The Corporate Conspiracy Vacuum (Formerly "Corporate Conspiracy: How Not Calling A Conspiracy A Conspiracy Is Warping The Law On Corporate Wrongdoing"), J.S. Nelson

J.S. Nelson

Techniques To Teach Substance And Skill In Contract Drafting: In-Office Meetings And Analytical Memos, Lyman P. Q. Johnson

Lyman P. Q. Johnson

This short article is based on a talk at Emory Law School on Transactional Lawyering. One overall pedagogical aim of a transactional course (or any business contract drafting course) is to link skills training with insistence on in-depth substantive learning about law and business. In this way, skills training – although acknowledged to be practical – also can be recognized as intellectually demanding, a point not always appreciated by proponents of more traditional law teaching. Two techniques for making the connection – in-office meetings and detailed “companion” analytical memos – are described.

Remedies: A Guide For The Perplexed, Doug Rendleman

Doug Rendleman

Remedies is one of a law student’s most practical courses. Remedies students and their professors learn to work with their eyes on the question at the end of litigation: what can the court do for the successful plaintiff? Remedies develops students’ professional identities and broadens their professional horizons by reorganizing their analysis of procedure, torts, contracts, and property around choosing and measuring relief - compensatory damages, punitive damages, an injunction, specific performance, disgorgement, and restitution. This article discusses the law-school course in Remedies - the content of the Remedies course, the Remedies classroom experience, and Remedies outside the classroom through …

Panel 1: Contract Law, Stephen Waddams, Michael Pratt, Angela Swan, Stephanie Ben-Ishai

Stephanie Ben-Ishai

INTRODUCTION: Lorne Sossin, Dean, Osgoode Hall Law School; Stephanie Ben-Ishai, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School; Jamie Cameron, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School. PANEL I: CONTRACT LAW: Moderator: Stephanie Ben-Ishai, Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School; Speaker: Stephen Waddams, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, "Mistakes in Assumptions"; Speaker: Michael Pratt, Professor, Faculty of Law, Queen's University, "The Intention to Create Legal Relations and Disclaimers"; Discussant: Angela Swan, Counsel, Legal Education, Aird & Berlis LLP.

Brief Of Restitution And Remedies Scholars As Amici Curiae In Support Of Respondent: Spokeo V. Robins, Doug Rendleman, Douglas Laycock, Mark P. Gergen

Doug Rendleman

Both consumer protection and restitution may be casualties in a collision with the constitutional law of standing. Spokeo collects information from the internet and publishes it; however, Spokeo neither verifies the facts nor confirms which same-named person it refers to. Robins alleges that Spokeo violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act by disseminating false information about him. He seeks class certification and up to $1,000 in statutory minimum damages instead of compensatory damages. Spokeo argues that Robins lacks standing because he suffered no “injury in fact,” no “concrete harm.” Statutory minimum recoveries for defendants’ violations of plaintiffs’ individual rights without proof …

Future Strategies For Improving Consent In Electronic Contracting, Ran Bi

Ran Bi

China's economy has been running deep into an exciting phrase called “Internet +”. In North America, most businesses have online presence and conduct numerous transactions online. Unprecedentedly, electronic contracts have been governing more Individuals and corporations’ legal relationships in a growing proportion of businesses and everyday life.

E-contracts, usually with no physical architecture, are easy to “sign”—people just click one or two icons on a computer / smartphone screen after “reading” (scroll down) the contents. However, e-contracts are standard form contracts which are provided by vendors . Users are easy to become victims of exploitative terms, because their consent has …

Incorporating The Third Party Beneficiary Principle In Natural Resource Contracts, James T. Gathii

James T Gathii

No abstract provided.

Tallman V. Eight Judicial District Court, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 60673 (Sep. 24, 2015), Marta Kurshumova

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held that an employment arbitration agreement, which contains a clause waiving the right to initiate or participate in class actions, constitutes a valid contract, even though it is not signed by the employer. The Court further determined that the Federal Arbitration Act applies to all transactions involving commerce and does not conflict with the National Labor Relations Act, which permits and requires arbitration. Finally, the Court found that a party does not automatically waive its contractual rights to arbitration by removing an action to federal court.

In Re: Manhattan West Mechanic’S Lien Litigation, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 70 (Sept. 24, 2015), Kristian Kaskla

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) a general subordination agreement effects a partial subordination; and (2) NRS 108.225 does not preclude parties from contracting for a partial subordination.

Mika V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 71 (Sep. 24, 2015), Kory Koerperich

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The court denied extraordinary writ relief from the district court’s decision to compel arbitration between Petitioners and their employer based on a long-form arbitration agreement signed only by the Petitioners, and federal law favoring arbitration agreements.

Am. First Fed. Credit Union V. Soro, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 73 (Sep. 24, 2014), Katherine Maher

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that a contract clause in which the parties “submit themselves to the jurisdiction of” another state, without more exclusive language, is permissive and does not result in a mandatory forum selection clause.

Illegal Agreements And The Lesser Evil Principle, Chunlin Leonhard

Catholic University Law Review

When parties enter into an illegal agreement and bring a dispute arising from the transaction before a court, the court finds itself in a difficult position. The court is faced with two competing interests: the importance of both upholding and protecting the dignity of the law and honoring inherent principles of U.S. contract law - freedom of contract and individual autonomy. There exists a common misconception that courts, when presented with illegal contracts, follow the rule of non-enforcement. However, an examination of case law indicates that courts are instead concerned with the consequences of their choices, and have consistently followed …