耶鲁大学美国合同法笔记第1周.docx

耶鲁大学美国合同法笔记第1周.docx

《耶鲁大学美国合同法笔记第1周.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《耶鲁大学美国合同法笔记第1周.docx（52页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

耶鲁大学美国合同法笔记第1周

WelcometoContracts.Inthesetwocourses,ContractsoneandContractstwo,youwilllearnthebasicsofUSContractLaw.Youdon'tneedtobealawyertowritecontracts.So,thesecourseswillbeavaluenotjusttolawstudents,buttobusinesspeopleinandoutsidetheUnitedStates,thathavetodealwithcontractsgovernedbyUSlaw.Contractsone,willfocusontheprerequisites先决条件forcontracting.You'lllearnaboutofferandacceptance,howcontractsmanifestmutualassent.We'llbetalkingalotaboutconsiderationandwhenitisrequired.Contractstwo,willthenturntoformationdefensesandquestionsofcontractperformance.Youwilllearnaboutcontractinterpretation,andthedividinglinebetweenbreachandnon-breach.Incontractstwo,we'llalsobelearningabouthowcontractlawattemptstoremedybreachbyawardingvarioustypesofdamages.Thelawofcontractsisbothjudgemadeandlegislaturemade,all50stateshaveenactedmajorpartsoftheUniformCommercialCodeorUCC.TheUCCisdividedintoseparatearticles.Articleoneincludesgeneralprovisions.We'llbefocusedonArticletwo,whichgovernsthesaleofgoods,physicalobjects.OtherUCCarticlesrelatetodifferentkindsoftransactions.Articleninecoverssecuredtransactions,whereaborrowergivesalenderasecurityinterestinsomeborrowerassetinordertosecuretheloan.Article-IIAcoversleases.Ifyouhaveacontractdisputewithyourbarber,isthecontractgovernedbytheUCC'sArticleII?

No.TheUCCgovernsthesaleofgoods.Thecontracttopaymoneyforahaircutisaservice,andislikelytobegovernedbycommonlaw,meaninglawcreatedovertimebyjudges.However,evenwithregardtoservices,manyjurisdictionshavehealthandsafetyregulationsaswellasconsumerprotectionstatutesthatmayregulatethetransaction.Thecommonlawisjudgemadelawhandeddownindecisionsthathaveprecedentialauthoritywithregardtosimilardisputes.ThecommonlawofcontractnotwithstandingtheUCCstillhasabigroletoplayinknowingcontractlaw.Commonlawgovernsnotonlyservicecontracts,butitsupplementstheUCCscoverageofsaleofgoodcontracts.UCCSection1-1O3B,tellsus."UnlessdisplacedbyparticularprovisionsoftheUniformCommercialCode,theprinciplesoflawandequity,includingthelawrelativetocapacitytocontract,principalandagent,estoppel,fraud,misrepresentation,duress,coercion,mistake,bankruptcy,andothervalidatingorinvalidatingcausesupplementitsprovisions".Inessence,thissectionsays,thatunlessdisplacedbyparticularprovisionsoftheUCC,thecommon-lawlivestheprinciplesoflawandequitythatsupplementitsprovisionsaretheprinciplesdevelopedbycommonlawjudges.Thebestwaytolearnthecommonlawistoreadcases,theopinionsofjudgesresolvingparticulardisputes,we'llbedoingalotofthatinthiscourse.ButtheAmericanLawInstitutehashelpfullycreatedrestatementofdifferentareasoflaw,thattriedtosummarizedifferentareasofjudgemadelaw.TheRestatement重述Secondofcontractsisthecurrentversionwhichwasfinalizedin1991.Thefirstwasapprovedin1932.Thisrestatementsecondhasbeenenormouslyinfluential.Itisnotlawinthesensethatjudgesarenotboundtofollowit,butmanysupremecourtshavefoundparticularprovisionspersuasiveandhaveexpresslyrelieduponcertainprovisions,thusindirectlymakingtheseprovisionsbindinginthesestates.So,tolearnbothstatutoryandcommonlawofcontracts,thiscoursewillbeintroducingyoutomanyprovisionsintheUCCandtherestatementsecondofcontracts.Likegenerationsofcontractsstudentsbeforeyou,you'llbereadingandpickingapartdozensofactualjudicialopinions.Webeginwithsixcasestogiveyouatasteofallofcontractlaw.Twocases,HamerandRickets,concernlegalprerequisitesforcreatingenforceablepromises.TwoothercasesBolinFarmsandWalker-ThomasFurniture,concerncontractualdefenses.Finally,twocasesJacobandYoungsandSullivan,concernremediesforbreachofcontract.Thisintroductorysectionalsointroducesyoutothreeoverarchingconcepts;default违约versusmandatoryrules强制规则,property财产versusliabilityrules责任规则,andtheCoasetheorem.So,withoutmoredo,let'sdigin.

UniformCommercialCode统一商法典

统一商法典（英语：

UniformCommercialCode,UCC,theCode）是美国制定的一部商法典，在1952年正式公布，现为美国50个州所采纳。

TheUniformCommercialCode（UCC）,firstpublishedin1952,isoneofanumberofuniformactsthathavebeenpromulgatedwiththegoalofharmonizingthelawofsalesandothercommercialtransactionsacrosstheUnitedStatesofAmerica（U.S.）throughUCCadoptionbyall50states,theDistrictofColumbia,andtheU.S.territories.

编数标题内容

1总则

2买卖

2A租赁契约

3流通票据

4银行存款与收款

4A

5信用证

6大宗买卖

7权利凭证

8投资证券

9动产提保交易

ABriefOverviewofContractLaw

Contractsarecreatedinordertolegallybindpartiesintoapromise,butbecauseofdifferinginterpretationsoflegallanguage,canbetrickytolitigate.Contractlawisacomplexpuzzle,onethatrequiresadeepunderstandingofwhatexactlycontractsareandwhatfollowingthroughwithoneentails.

Thereareafewrequirementstomakeacontractenforceableaswellaslimitationsonwhatonecanbecontractuallyobligatedtodo.Inthisarticle,we’lldefinetheterms,discussthebasicsofcontractlaw,therequirementsforanenforceablecontract强制执行的合同,andgiveanoverviewwhatbreachofcontractentails,aswellaspossibleremediesthatmaycomeoutoflitigationduetofraudorothercontractualerrors.

Ifyou’relookingforalawyerwhospecializesincontractlitigation,looknofurtherthanourttorneyswhospecializeinthiscomplexlegalknot法律纠纷.

DefinitionofTerms

AcontractisdefinedbytheLegalInformationInstituteas,“anagreementbetweenprivatepartiescreatingmutualobligationsenforceablebylaw”.Morebroadly,thisincludesanypromise（允诺）promise

n.&v.允诺；保证；许诺　以特定方式向他人表明自己将要为或不为某事的打算，且该表达的方式使对方可合理地理解为其作出了许诺：

保证将为或不为某事。

允诺可以书面或口头的方式为之，作出允诺的人是允诺人〔promisor〕，其相对方是受允诺人〔promisee〕。

合同实质上即为有约束力的允诺；允诺付款，指本票〔promissorynote〕上表明出票人打算偿还某一债务的字句。

如果仅书面承认债务到期，并不足以构成允诺付款thebreachofwhichwillresultinlegalremedies.

Apromiseisdefinedasamanifestationofintentiontoactorrefrainfromactinginaspecifiedway,somadeastojustifyapromiseeinunderstandingthatacommitmenthasbeenmade.

要约人，受要约人

Apromiserisdefinedasthepersonmanifestingtheaforementionedintention,whilethepromiseeisthepersontowhomthismanifestationisaddressed.Abeneficiarymayalsoarisedependinguponthetypeofcontract,andabeneficiaryisanyonewhoisbenefitedbytheperformanceofthepromiseronbehalfofthepromisee.

RequirementsforAnEnforceableContract有效合同的构成要件

Inorderforacontracttobeenforceableandlegally-binding,thereareafewdifferentelementsofrequirementthatmustbemet.

Thefirstoftheseismutualassent（合意，即意思表示一致）,whichsimplymeansthatbothpartiesagreetothetermsofthecontract.Bothpartiesmustalsoexpressavalidofferandacceptance,whetherinaformalmannerorjustbyagreementtotheofferaspresented.Evenifthemomentofagreementcannotbepinpointed准确表述,theassertionofanagreementmadewillsuffice满足.

Anotherelementofalegally-enforceablecontractisthatbothpartiesmustbereasonablycertainthattheagreementcanbehonoredinalegalmanner（内容合法）--soifthecontractdescribesillegalbehavior,itobviouslycannotbeenforced.

Adequateconsideration（合理对价）,or“thevaluethatconvincesthepartiestoengageinacontract”inthefirstplace,isalsoanothercrucialelement.

Oneofthebiggestreasonsthatcontractdisputesenterlitigationisduetomisrepresentations,mistakes,oreitherpartyofthecontractbeingunderundueduress,orpressure,tocompletetheterms.欺诈、胁迫、趁人之危、重大误解、显失公平Manytimeslitigationwillfindacontractvoidorunenforceable合同无效或不可强制执行,whichdissolvesthetermsofthecontracttobothparties.

Ifacontractisbreached,thenlitigationmayfindthepromiseeisentitledtodamagesasaremedytocontractbreach.Dependinguponthetypeofcontractbreach,ajudgecanawardexpectationdamages期望损害赔偿,reliancedamages信赖损害,andunjustenrichment不当得利toaninjuredparty.

FindinganAttorneyWhoSpecializesinContract

LitigationContractlawmaybeacomplexpuzzle--butthat’swhyyouneedanattorneythatcanuntangleitforyou.Youneedalitigationattorneywithyourbestinterestsinmindwhowillofferyouexpertadvice,especiallythosewiththeexperiencetoachievethebestpossibleresultsfortheirclients,oftenavoidingevergoingtotrialduetomutualagreements.特别是那些有经验的诉讼律师，为他们的客户取得最好的结果，往往是通过达成协议而避免诉讼。

DefaultRules,AlteringRulesandMandatoryRules

失责处理规则，变更规则和强制性规则

Theeffectofmanyoftherulesthatyouwilllearninlawschoolcanbealteredbyagreementoftheparties.Rulesthatthepartiescancontractaroundareoftencalleddefaultorgapfillingrules默认或空白填充规则.Justaswordprocessingsoftwarestablishesdefaultmarginsthatausercanalterbychangingthesettings,anyrulesaremerelylegalpresumptions法律推定thatonlygovernwhenhepartieshaveremainedsilent,intheabsenceofagreementstothecontrary.Defaultrulescanbeestablishedbycommonlawcourtsorbylegislatures.Whenacourtdecisionsays,sJudgeCardozawroteinJacobandYoungversusKent,thatfuturepartiesare,quote,freebyaptandcertainwords,unquote,tocontractforanalternativeresult,thedecisionisannouncingadefaultrule.Whenastatuteprescribesarulethatwillapply,quote,unlessotherwiseindicated,unquote,inaprivatecontract,itisannouncingadefaultrule.Butmanytimes,statutesanddecisionswillnotexpresslyaddresswhetheraparticularrulecanbealtere