American Contract Law for a Global Age, 2017a

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and we turn to the question of whether the district court’s finding that Naval suffered $35,380.50 in actual damages was proper. In reaching the $35,380.50 figure, the court operated on the premise that, but for the breach by Berkley, Naval would have sold in September the same number of hardcover copies it sold in August. Berkley challenges that premise as speculative and argues that since Naval presented no evidence as to what its September 1985 sales would have been, Naval is entitled to recover no damages. It argues alternatively that the court should have computed damages on the premise that sales in the second half of September, in the absence of Berkley’s premature release of the paperback edition, would have been made at the same rate as in the first half of September. Evaluating the district court’s calculation of damages under the clearly erroneous standard of review, we reject Berkley’s contentions. The record showed that, though there was a declining trend of hardcover sales of the Book from March through August 1985, Naval continued to sell its hardcover copies through the end of 1985, averaging some 3,000 copies a month in the latter period. It plainly was not error for the district court to find that the preponderance of the evidence indicated that Berkley’s early shipment of 1,400,000 copies of its paperback edition, some 40% of which went to retail outlets and led to the Book’s rising close to the top of the paperback best-seller lists before the end of September 1985, caused Naval the loss of some hardcover sales prior to October 1985. As to the quantification of that loss, we think it was within the prerogative of the court as finder of fact to look to Naval’s August 1985 sales. Though there was no proof as to precisely what the unimpeded volume of hardcover sales would have been for the entire month of September, any such evidence would necessarily have been hypothetical. But it is not error to lay the normal uncertainty in such hypotheses at the door of the wrongdoer who altered the proper course of events, instead of at the door of the injured party. See, e.g., Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 352 cmt. a (“Doubts are generally resolved against the party in breach.”). The court was not required to use as the starting point for its calculations Naval’s actual sales in the first half of September, i.e., those made prior to the first retail sale of the paperback edition. Berkley has not called to our attention any evidence in the record to indicate that the sales in a given month are normally spread evenly through that month. Indeed, it concedes that “to a large degree, book sales depend on public whim and are notoriously unpredictable.” Thus, nothing in the record foreclosed the possibility that, absent Berkley’s breach, sales of hardcover copies in the latter part of September would have outpaced sales of those copies in the early part of the month. Though the court accurately described its selection of August 1985 sales as its benchmark as “generous,” it was not improper, given the inherent uncertainty, to exercise generosity in favor of the injured party rather than in favor of the breaching party. In all the circumstances, we cannot say that the district court’s calculation of Naval’s damages was clearly erroneous. ______________________________________________________________________________ 484 CHAPTER VIII: REMEDIES
_____________________ Review Question 4. This case may seem overly technical on first read. Note that what the court faces is the same question that writers of “alternative history” novels have to face: What would the world be like if things had happened differently? Carefully consider the evidence the court discusses and note how the court goes about constructing a sort of parallel world. In proving damages, lawyers frequently must find ways to do this sort of thing. Review Question 5. Suppose you have a seller (such as General Motors was before its 2009 restructuring) that loses money on every transaction it enters into. Is it possible that such a seller would have damages if one of those losing contracts were breached? Maybe the seller should thank the breaching party for stemming its loss. The Leingang case below seems to suggest that there might actually be compensable damages, however. As you read Leingang, see if you can articulate why this is so. Your professor just might ask for your explanation in an upcoming class. _____________________ LEINGANG v. CITY OF MANDAN WEED BOARD Supreme Court of North Dakota 468 N.W.2d 397 (N.D. 1991) LEVINE, J. Robert Leingang appeals from an award of damages for breach of contract. The issue is whether the trial court used the appropriate measure of damages. We hold it did not, and reverse and remand. The City of Mandan Weed Board awarded Leingang a contract to cut weeds on lots with an area greater than 10,000 square feet. Another contractor received the contract for smaller lots. During 1987, Leingang discovered that the Weed Board’s agent was improperly assigning large lots to the small-lot contractor. Leingang complained and the weed board assigned some substitute lots to him. Leingang brought a breach of contract action in small claims court and the City removed the action to county court. The City admitted that it had prevented Leingang’s performance under the contract and that the contract price for the lost work was $1,933.78. A bench trial was held to assess the damages suffered by Leingang. At trial, Leingang argued that the applicable measure of damages was the contract price less the costs of performance he avoided due to the breach. Leingang ______________________________________________________________________________ UNIT 23: THE EXPECTATION INTEREST 485
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Notices This is the first edition o
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About CALI eLangdell Press The Cent
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Unit 19: Conditions ...............
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hired Corleone family thugs 4 or an
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described herein, and agrees to fre
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6. MARY BETH WHITEHEAD, Surrogate,
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Surrogate and WILLIAM STERN, Natura
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10. Consider paragraph 5. Should th
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The two court opinions that follow
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Venue Venue is a concept of place
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Their first child, Ryan, was born o
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Subsequent to entering into the sur
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The sixth and final argument sugges
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It is argued by amicus that the $ 1
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no stated public policy on surrogac
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IN RE BABY M Supreme Court of New J
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adoption; the sole purpose of the c
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The surrogacy contract violates the
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Problems Donald Donor is a single,
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An Introduction to CONTRACT FORMATI
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particular obligation? In Europe, i
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The evidence is undisputed that pla
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After some negotiation a price of $
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The answer of A.H. Zehmer admitted
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no, that is beer and liquor talking
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on the Zehmers as well as on himsel
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offer and of the reward and its sub
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your professor. You will come acros
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car title you’re holding there. I
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In the modern world, the question o
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pair of sunglasses. The drumroll th
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This letter was apparently sent onw
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Because these cases generally invol
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teenager’s schoolmates gape in ad
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Review Question 3. Note how Judge W
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cash in ten days,” it must be dee
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“Before a contract can be complet
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for the purpose of doing the work a
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accidentally being bound to unwante
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Here, we have a counter-offer. The
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parties.” Metropolitan Sports Fac
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court. See Minn. R. Civ. App. P. 10
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Thus, it clearly appears that the d
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with distribution. The parties ulti
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all essential terms. See, e.g., Sit
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Enclosed, we beg to hand you contra
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to call for an acceptance particula
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than identify himself, Dealer says,
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offer.” More often, they nod, sha
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The next attack will be my end, I a
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from all the facts and circumstance
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Notice to the agent, within the sco
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2. Written approval by United State
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contrary in the offer, the acceptan
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HOBBS v. MASSASOIT WHIP CO. Supreme
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stranger may impose a duty upon ano
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contract in this case come into exi
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An Introduction to CONSIDERATION Th
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and you are free to change your min
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Ridge Runner that she lacked the pr
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We conclude that the territory enco
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He further answered, that it was gi
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This action was brought upon an all
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consideration does in fact benefit
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Review Question 5. The promisors in
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The distinction between such a cond
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Vincent refuses. Fritz eventually s
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enefit was money received, the subs
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they stopped work in a body, and de
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supervise this building. Under the
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The day before trial the plaintiffs
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General rules of law established fo
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For the foregoing reasons we are al
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WEBB v. McGOWIN Court of Appeals of
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100 P. 631 (Kan. 1909); Edson v. Po
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McGowin’s adult child, would that
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efuses, saying, “We had a deal.
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Giles had no right to use it. But t
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BLICESTER: That’s crazy. JUDGE: N
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A. She took the piece of paper and
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According to the undisputed proof,
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We recognize that upon different fa
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was discussed with compensation to
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CONRAD v. FIELDS Court of Appeals o
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her job at Qwest and enroll in law
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Seth Wyman’s estranged son Levi i
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An Introduction to ALTERNATIVE REGI
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consistency. Some provisions have p
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TOUSLEY-BIXLER CONSTRUCTION CO. v.
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of goods within this Article whethe
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differently from other contracts? F
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nine units was delivered and paid f
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think they have struck a deal.” Q
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more sense for contract formation t
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COMMERCIAL CODE § 2-206:12 (3D ED.
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face of which appears the notation,
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Problem 10.3 On June 1, the sales d
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except for personal use. If, howeve
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[T]he plain reading of the statute
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not lubricated in any way. Without
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we also note that Best Bolt’s vic
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(c) are fit for the ordinary purpos
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This purchase order represents the
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provision would cause no “surpris
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FLENDER CORPORATION v. TIPPINS INTE
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well that the reservations each par
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The alternate approach, recognized
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(a) Is Ivy League University a “m
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and ratified a treaty called the Un
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(2) The fact that the parties have
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e. Manufacturer in Texas contracts
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an authorized distributor of Defend
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undisputed that each of these alleg
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Treaty Text Note. Read Articles 18,
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*4 (S.D. Ohio Mar. 26, 2009); see a
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perform a substantial part of his o
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shall be settled by binding arbitra
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An Introduction to CONTRACT DEFENSE
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which extended even to being able t
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Dickerson, 72 Ala. 318 (1882). In t
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loss from the transaction, includin
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this definition. Whether other area
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ORTELERE v. TEACHERS’ RETIREMENT
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medicine, this physician “judged
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The avoidance of duties under an ag
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7. What is my total service credit?
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Review Question 5. In McGovern v. C
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will pay the full listed price of $
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endeavoured to be upheld by Perjury
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Y Contracts that cannot be performe
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you think the consideration doctrin
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NICKELS, J., dissenting. I disagree
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contracts. What is the real purpose
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At the ensuing trial, defendant den
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There may be cases in which it woul
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professional. Things were really ge
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GUENTHER v. AMER-TEX CONSTRUCTION C
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(b) Subsection (a) of this section
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Problem 14.3 Van der Rohe USA, Inc.
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sold, the terms of the sale, the na
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the judgment of a vulnerable party.
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The first issue is whether the labe
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some point or on some occasion it w
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As a matter of law, based on the fa
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or, more particularly, in cases suc
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“deprived Loral of its free will.
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As to mistake, the amended complain
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In Weger v. Rocha, 32 P.2d 417 (Cal
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I had brought back the topaz, and h
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May 5, 1886, plaintiff went out to
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arren cow is substantially a differ
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prior to the sale was Buyer aware t
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Against Public Policy. In many situ
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HANKS v. POWDER RIDGE RESTAURANT CO
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interest adversely, and identified
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illogical, in these circumstances,
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_____________________ Review Questi
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construed against the employer). Th
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acquired by virtue of effort and ex
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_____________________ Review Questi
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Mere inadequacy of consideration wi
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District of Columbia Court of Appea
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In determining reasonableness or fa
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Problems Problem 16.1 The Californi
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position to all of his patients (or
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An Introduction to TERMS AND INTERP
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contract itself. Thus written docum
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consideration of the simultaneous a
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the contract on the basis of which
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The subject-matter of the written c
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understandings or agreements.” 3
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little time to compose it . . . . A
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expressed in the writing. KN Energy
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Article 8 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION
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contracts or that parol evidence re
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percent (50%) protein, as tested on
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get the deal they intended, and the
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Cases and Materials W.W.W. ASSOCIAT
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do so because of some identified am
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The truth is that whatever virtue a
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Absent strong public policy conside
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FRIGALIMENT IMPORTING CO. v. B.N.S.
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persuasive if sustained by the reco
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and there is force in defendant’s
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RANDOM HOUSE, INC. v. ROSETTA BOOKS
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language of the grant was broad, en
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F.3d at 1095, would conclude that t
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When Hurricane Rubin strikes the lo
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the business. The contract was sile
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party argues ambiguity), the loan f
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accordance with the terms of this c
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of the advance payments, or the num
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imbibe alcoholic beverages and stil
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significant satisfied requirement o
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TOWN OF FAIRFIELD v. D’ADDARIO Su
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damages. The notice of Kant’s act
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who had turned down lucrative offer
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were to suggest some express provis
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notice of ninety days. The plaintif
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Review Question 2. What was Judge C
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exercising discretion under the con
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NANAKULI PAVING AND ROCK CO. v. SHE
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§ 490:1-102(2)(b). The drafters of
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trade existed in Hawaii in 1969 and
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1978) (unpublished opinion) (holdin
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Plaintiff does not contest its stat
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product. The concept of “merchant
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discovery by defendant of the defec
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Unfortunately, Plumber’s work doe
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An Introduction to PERFORMANCE AND
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doctrine, so that close-enough perf
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the number of joists used in all th
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JACOB & YOUNGS, INC. v. KENT Court
Page 442 and 443: transgressor must accept the penalt
Page 444 and 445: was for requiring this kind of pipe
Page 446 and 447: The evidence is undisputed that the
Page 448 and 449: eing a new roof. We are not prepare
Page 450 and 451: This case is simple if the perfect
Page 452 and 453: yacht remained located at SIYS’ f
Page 454 and 455: happens by mere operation of law; s
Page 456 and 457: Problems Problem 21.1 Actor is a ve
Page 458 and 459: processor for the same price as the
Page 460 and 461: venue. Under Paradine v. Jane, this
Page 462 and 463: At trial, the court allowed IH’s
Page 464 and 465: In order for a supervening event to
Page 466 and 467: The court interpreted this passage
Page 468 and 469: economic circumstances sufficiently
Page 470 and 471: A cancellation order given by her o
Page 472 and 473: e entitled to judgment. They certai
Page 474 and 475: performance is excused when unfores
Page 476 and 477: caused to communications and transp
Page 478 and 479: Following the closing of the above-
Page 480 and 481: performance. 407 East 61st Garage,
Page 482 and 483: Canal, across the Mediterranean thr
Page 484 and 485: An Introduction to REMEDIES We now
Page 486 and 487: ___________________________________
Page 488 and 489: multiplication and (very rarely) di
Page 490 and 491: It was also erroneous and misleadin
Page 494 and 495: testified that the total gas, oil,
Page 496 and 497: BRANDEIS MACHINERY & SUPPLY CO., LL
Page 498 and 499: PEEVYHOUSE v. GARLAND COAL & MINING
Page 500 and 501: explanation as to why a measure of
Page 502 and 503: work; however, where the contract p
Page 504 and 505: clear and unambiguous and the parti
Page 506 and 507: pool contractor to finish the pool
Page 508 and 509: ___________________________________
Page 510 and 511: Nevertheless, the English courts he
Page 512 and 513: perform the work. As Lee failed to
Page 514 and 515: UNITED STATES ex rel. COASTAL STEEL
Page 516 and 517: emanded for those findings. When th
Page 518 and 519: the substance is that the plaintiff
Page 520 and 521: the agreement would continue on a m
Page 522 and 523: Review Question 7. Note the paralle
Page 524 and 525: product that would be fully functio
Page 526 and 527: car to the Country Music Museum for
Page 528 and 529: ___________________________________
Page 530 and 531: Restatement (Second) of Contracts s
Page 532 and 533: Harrahs brings the instant action a
Page 534 and 535: contest payment for same if constru
Page 536 and 537: This is in accord with the earlier
Page 538 and 539: Defendant’s sole defense to this
Page 540 and 541: particular. Certainly, none of the
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sustained where, from the nature of
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ut will be happy to try to help in
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the full $7,500 price of admission
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Problem 25.2 Mina is a second-year
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other types of specific performance
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imposed as the remedy for breach of
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certainty, then S&M should be compe
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There is simply no requirement in t
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“other proper circumstances” th
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fence plaintiff erected to discoura
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y no means certain, at the time of
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cannot use that method of self-help
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contract price of $533,000) that La
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teacher resigned at the beginning,
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eaching its lease with Perez by the
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An Introduction to CONTRACT NONPART
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fraud, mistake, and illegality. If
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may be the diversity of opinion els
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given him by the will for a particu
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since Lawrence v. Fox in a desire t
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workers’ compensation benefits),
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to divide a lawyer’s loyalty betw
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Review Question 9. Lawyers do many
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Problems Problem 27.1 Hank and Hild
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interested in jumping into such a b
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limitations barred the claims. She
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assigned their claim to recover the
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application to this contract as it
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A breach of contract has been defin
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moved to Arizona and had no further
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It is evident from the express lang
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contracted to assume, and the assig
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March 1 for the conveyance of Purpl
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