1. CONTRACT LAW
LECTURE 3

2. INTERPRETATION- CONTRACT ACTS 1950
Definition: What is contract?
S 2(h) – contract is an agreement enforceable by law
S 2 (g) – an agreement which is not enforceable by law is considered void

3. S 2 (b) – promise is when a person to whom the promise is made signifies his assent thereto, the proposal is said to be accepted. A proposal when accepted becomes a promise.
S 2(C) - the person making the proposal is called the promisor / offeror and the person who accepts the proposal is called the promisee/acceptor/offerree

4. ELEMENTS OF CONTRACT
Offer and acceptance
Consideration
Intention to create legal relations
Capacity to contract
Consent
Certainty

5. OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE
Proposal – S 2(a) – when a person signifies to another his willingness to do or to abstain from doing anything, with a view of abstaining his ascent of that other to the act of abstinence, he is said to make proposal
Proposal should be distinguished from ‘an invitation to treat’ (an attempt to induce another party to make an offer. It is not an offer by itself)

6. Come on, the cheapest strawberry in the world!!!
ITT is a preliminary communication at the stage of negotiation and a person who makes an invitation does not want to be bound by the law.
It is an invitation to another person to make an offer.
Come on, the cheapest strawberry in the world!!!

7. EXAMPLES OF AN INVITATION TO TREAT
Display of goods in a self service supermarket – it is an invitation to treat - the proposal is made when the customer select the goods and brought it to the counter for payment. When payment is made, offer is said to be accepted and the contract is concluded.
Auctioneer inviting bids for a particular article – auctioneer invites people who present to bid for the price. The highest bid will be accepted and the contract of sale is concluded.
Advertisement and quotation

8. OFFER – WHEN IT IS EFFECTIVE?
S 4 – offer/proposal is only effective if it is communicated to the acceptor

9. ACCEPTANCE
S 2(b) – when a person to whom the promise is made signifies his assent thereto, the proposal is said to be accepted

10. COMMUNICATION OF ACCEPTANCE
Acceptance must be communicated / make known to the offeror
It is said to be communicated if it reaches the offeror

11. ACCEPTANCE BY POST S 4(2)(a) & (b):
Communication of acceptance by post is complete as against the offeror, when it is put in the course of transmission to him, so as to be out of the course of the acceptor
as against the acceptor, when it comes to the knowledge of the offeror

12. The offeror is bound by a contract made through post even though he does not know about the acceptance
The acceptor is bound by the contract
only when the acceptance has reached
the knowledge of the offeror

13. REVOCATION OF OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE
S 5(1) – a proposal may be revoked at any time before the communication of its acceptance is complete as against the proposer, but not afterwards
An acceptance may be revoked at any time before the communication of the acceptance is complete as against the acceptor, but not afterwards

14. EXAMPLES
A-offerror
B-acceptor
1 Jan
post letter of offer
Pos letter of acceptance
5 Jan
(put the letter into a
letter box)
A cannot cancel the contract
–s.4(2)(a) - Acceptance is completed
against A when the letter is
posted
8 Jan
receives letter of acceptance from B
- S.4(2)(b) – acceptance completed against B

15. S.5(2) B-acceptor A-offerror Post LO to B 1 Jan 5 Jan Post LA to A
(s.4(2)(a)- contract concluded)
B cannot revoke his acceptance on 8 Jan, contract completed against B. (S 5(2))
8 Jan
: receive LA from B

16. CONSIDERATIONS
The price which one party pays to buy the promise or act of the other
need not be adequate – the price suit with the goods
PANG SWEE KIM V. BEH I HOCK

17. INTENTION TO CREATE LEGAL RELATIONS
Intention relates to somebody’s state of mind
Law cannot read the mind – use presumption
In business agreement, there is a presumption that the parties intend to enter into contractual relationship/ to enforce the contract
In social agreement, it is implied that no legal relation are contemplated, but this presumption
can be rebutted

18. CAPACITY TO CONTRACT
S 11 – person who is competent to enter into contract is the one who attain the age of majority, who is of sound mind, and not disqualified from contracting from any law to which he is subject

19. CONTRACT BY MINOR
Age of Majority Act 1971 – 18 years
Effect of contract by minor – VOID
Mohori Bibee v. Dharmodas Ghouse
Hereford J:
‘The privy council have held that the effect of sections 10 and 11 of the Contract Act of India is that an infant cannot make a contract within the meaning of the Act, and that the contract made by infant is not only voidable but void…the decision of the Privy Council is binding on this court, and therefore there can be no doubt whatever that these transfers are void.’

20. Exceptions:
s 4 – matters relating to marriage, divorce, dower and adoption
Any other written law which fix the age of majority
Case: Rajeswary v. Balakrishnan& Ors (1958) 3 MC 178
Held: The age of majority for entering into a marriage contract differed from other contracts entered into by a minor and consequently, such contracts were not affected by the general rule.

21. Contracts by minor are valid under certain circumstances
Contract for necessaries – s 69 – “if a person incapable of entering into a contract or anyone whom he is legally bound to support, is supplied by another person with necessaries suited to his condition in life, the person who has furnished such supplies is entitled to be reimbursed from the property of such incapable person”

22. Scholarships – s 4 Contracts (Amendment) Act 1976 – “no scholarship agreement shall be invalidated on the ground that the scholar entering into such agreement is not of the age of majority
Insurance – Insurance Act 1963 – “A minor over the age of 10 may enter into a contract of insurance but if he is under 16, the written consent of parent and guardian is needed”
Apprenticeship – The Children and
Young Persons (Employment) Act 1966 Child is a person below the age of 14, young person between the age of 14 and 16

23. CERTAINTY
Terms in the contract must be certain
If the terms is uncertain or not capable of being made certain, the agreement is void
Unenforceable
Ali pleases to sell his house for RM50,000 or RM70,000

24. SOUND MIND S 12 Contract Act 1950
A person is said to be of sound mind for the purpose of making the contract, if at the time when he makes it, he is capable of understanding it and of forming a rational judgment as to its effect upon his interest
A person usually suffering from mental disorder may make a contract during those periods when he is sound

25. LEGAL EFFECT OF CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP
Valid contract – obligation to perform the contract, legal remedies in case of breach
Voidable contract – contract which can be affirmed or repudiated
Void contracts –cannot be enforced in the court of law

26. VALID CONTRACTS
If it fulfilled all the elements of contract that is offer, acceptance, considerations, legal capacity of parties, intention to create legal relations and certainty

27. VOIDABLE CONTRACT
S 10 – all agreement are contracts if they are made by the free consent of the parties
S 14 – consent is said to be free when it is not caused by one or more of the following:
Coercion (threat)
Undue influence
Fraud (any act to induce another party to enter into contract)
Misrepresentation (true/false statement)
Mistake

28. VOID AND ILLEGAL CONTRACTS
Not enforceable by law
S 24 – the consideration or object of an agreement is lawful unless:
forbidden by law
if permitted, would defeat any law
fraudulent
implies injury to a person or property of another
court regard it as immoral or opposed to public policy

29. REMEDIES
Remedies from the court:
Damages
Specific performance
Injunction

30. DAMAGES
REMEDIES
SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE
INJUNCTION

31. Remedies granted by the court can be divided into two types:-
1. Legal remedy
i.e damages
2. Equitable remedy
i.e specific performance, injunction and quantum meruit.
Available to the innocent party but the grant of these remedies is subject to the discretion of the court.

32. DAMAGES
S A party who has a right to rescind the contract can seek legal redress (damages)
Damages are granted to compensate the innocent party for losses suffered as result of the contract being breached by the party in breach.

33. The right to sue for damages is available as of right to the innocent party when the contract has been breached.
If the plaintiff can establish that the defendant has breached the contract, the plaintiff is automatically entitled to claim whatever losses which he can prove that he has suffered due to that breach of contract.

34. Two type of losses: pecuniary and non pecuniary losses
Pecuniary losses – losses which can be quantified in financial terms.
Eg: loss of profit, expenses incurred.
Non pecuniary losses – losses which cannot be precisely stated in financial terms.
Eg: pain and suffering,disappointment, embarrassment

35. SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE
A decree directing a contract or certain act should be performed specifically according to its original terms
Where the court grants an order of SP, the contracting party who in breach of the contract refuses to perform his obligation under the contract, will be compelled to perform the obligation.

36. Failure to do so will render him liable for contempt of court for non-compliance with an order of court. (CASE: JOHNSON V. AGNEW [1980] 1 MLJ 367)
Chapter II of the Specific Relief Act 1950 lays down the principles governing the remedy of SP.

37. INJUNCTION
An order of court requiring the party to whom it is addressed to do a specified act to refrain from doing a specified act.
Equitable remedy available for breach of contract.
Granting of injunctions as at the discretion of the court.
Not available to a ptf as of right.

38. TYPES OF INJUNCTION
Can be divided into temporary and perpetual injunction. (S 50 of the Specific Relief Act 1950)
1. Temporary injunction
Granted before the trial of the case.
Granted as a provisional measure at an early stage of the proceedings before the court has had the opportunity of hearing and considering the merits of the case.

39. S 51(1) SPA temporary injunction is to continue until a specific time, or until further order of the court. - preserve status quo of the parties
Can be granted at any time

40. Perpetual Injunction
Given after the trial as a final judgment. Permanent order
S 51(2) SPA 1950 – a perpetual injunction can only be granted by the decree made at the hearing and upon the merits of the suit; the def is thereby perpetually enjoined from the assertion of right, or from the commission of an act, which would be contrary to the rights of the ptf.Granted by the degree made at hearing

41. Eg: Mareva Injunction – preventing the defendant from removing asset from within the jurisdiction.