March 8, 2023

Contract Law established a Legal Obligation

This article has been written by Mr B.C ARYAN , a 4th year BA.LLB ( HONS ) Student from Symbiosis Law School , Pune 

Introduction

Contract law is a fundamental area of law that governs the formation, interpretation, and enforcement of agreements between parties. At its core, contract law establishes a legal obligation between the parties to fulfill the promises made in a contract. This legal obligation arises from the agreement between the parties and is enforceable by law. In this essay, we will explore the concept of legal obligation in contract law in greater detail, discussing the key principles and requirements that govern the formation of a legally binding contract.

The law of obligations is one part of private law under the Civil law general set of laws thus called “blended” general sets of laws. The group of rules sorts out and directs the privileges and obligations emerging between people. The particular privileges and obligations are alluded to as commitments, and this area of law with their creation, impacts and elimination.

A obligations is a legitimate bond (vinculum iuris) by which at least one parties (obligants) will undoubtedly act or refrain acting. A commitment in this manner forces on the obligor an obligation to perform, and at the same time makes a relating right to demand execution by the obligee to whom execution is to be offered.

Contracts

An Contracts can be extensively characterized as an agreement that is enforceable at law. Gaius ordered agreements into four classes which are: contracts consensu, verbal Contracts, contracts re, and Contracts litteris. Be that as it may, this characterization can’t cover every one of the Contracts, like settlements and innominate contracts; consequently, it is not generally utilized. As per numerous cutting edge legitimate researchers, the main characterization of Contracts is that of Contracts consensu, which just require the agree of wills to make commitments, and formal Contracts, which must be deduced in a particular structure to be substantial (for instance, in numerous European nations an Contracts directing the acquisition of land should be deduced in an extraordinary composed structure that is approved by a public notary).

Delicts

Quasi-contracts

Quasi-contracts should be wellsprings of commitments basically the same as contracts, yet the fundamental distinction is that they are not made by an agreements of wills. The fundamental cases are negotiorum gestio (directing of someone else’s issues without their approval), unreasonable enhancement, and solutio indebiti. This Roman classification is very disputable for the present norms, since large numbers of these cases would be thought of as totally not quite the same as contracts (most remarkably unreasonable improvement), and would rather be delegated delicts or unique source of obligations.They are framed by impication from conditions in any case or the consent or contradiction of parties. They are called Quasi-contracts. The instances of Quasi-contracts under the Roman law;

Semi delicts

This contains a group of activities that are basically the same as delicts, yet deficient with regards to one of key components of delicts. It incorporates res suspensae, obligation regarding things spilled or tossed out of structures, obligation of transporters/owners/stablekeepers, and erring judges. For instance, the obligation of landlords makes commitments when certain things left by visitors in the housing are obliterated, harmed or lost by the owner’s colleagues or employees. For this situation, the landlord is answerable for the harms to the visitor’s property, despite the fact that he didn’t cause them actually.

Subject matter

Commitments are ordered by the idea of the performance (prestation):

Genuine Obligation – related in some way to immovable property

Obligation to give – commitments to give or ownership, or pleasure

Explicit obligation – conveyance of something determinate when it is especially assigned or genuinely isolated from all others of a similar class

Conventional obligation – conveyance of something nonexclusive

Individual obligation – endeavors either to do or not do a wide range of work or administration

Positive individual obligation – undertaking or commitment to do

Pessimistic individual obligation – abstinence or commitment to not do

The concept of legal obligation in contract law is based on the idea that when two or more parties enter into a contract, they are creating a legally binding agreement. This means that each party is legally obligated to fulfill their promises under the contract. For example, if Party A agrees to sell a car to Party B, Party A is legally obligated to deliver the car to Party B, while Party B is legally obligated to pay for the car.

In order for a contract to be legally binding, it must meet certain legal requirements. These requirements include offer and acceptance, consideration, capacity, and legality. Let us take a closer look at each of these requirements.

Offer and Acceptance

The first requirement for a legally binding contract is offer and acceptance. This means that one party must make an offer to another party, and the other party must accept the offer. The offer must be clear and specific, and it must be made with the intent to create a legally binding agreement. Once the offer has been made, the other party must accept it in order for the contract to be formed.

Consideration

The second requirement for a legally binding contract is consideration. Consideration refers to something of value that is exchanged between the parties. This can be in the form of money, goods, or services. Consideration is what gives the contract its legal force and binds the parties to their promises.

Capacity

The third requirement for a legally binding contract is capacity. This means that the parties entering into the contract must have the legal capacity to do so. This includes being of legal age and having the mental capacity to understand the terms of the agreement. If a party lacks capacity, the contract may be voidable.

Legality

The fourth requirement for a legally binding contract is legality. The contract must not involve any illegal activity. If the contract involves illegal activity, it is considered void and unenforceable.

Once these legal requirements are met, the contract becomes legally binding, and the parties are obligated to fulfill their promises. If one party breaches the contract, the other party can seek legal remedies such as damages, specific performance, or cancellation of the contract.

In addition to these legal requirements, contract law also recognizes certain types of contracts, such as express contracts, implied contracts, and unilateral contracts. Let us take a closer look at each of these types of contracts.

Express Contracts

An express contract is a contract in which the parties explicitly state the terms of the agreement. This can be done in writing or verbally. For example, if Party A agrees to sell a car to Party B for $10,000, and Party B agrees to pay $10,000 for the car, this is an express contract.

Implied Contracts

An implied contract is a contract in which the parties do not explicitly state the terms of the agreement. Instead, the terms of the contract are inferred from the conduct of the parties. For example, if Party A hires Party B to perform a service, and Party B begins performing the service, this is an implied contract.

Unilateral Contracts

A unilateral contract is a contract in which one party makes a promise in exchange for the other party’s performance. For example, if Party A promises to pay $100 to anyone who finds and returns their lost dog, this is a unilateral contract. The contract is formed when the other party.

Remedies for Breach of Contract

If one party fails to fulfill its obligations under the contract, the other party can seek legal remedies. The remedies available for breach of contract include:

Damages: The most common remedy for breach of contract is damages. Damages are a monetary award that compensates the injured party for the loss suffered as a result of the breach. The purpose of damages is to put the injured party in the position they would have been in if the contract had been fulfilled.

Specific Performance: Specific performance is a remedy that requires the party in breach to fulfill their obligations under the contract. This remedy is available in cases where damages are not an adequate remedy, such as in cases involving unique goods or services.

Rescission: Rescission is a remedy that allows the injured party to cancel the contract and be restored to their pre-contractual position. This remedy is available in cases where contract is breached.

Reference 

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_obligations#:~:text=An%20obligation%20is%20a%20legal,performance%20is%20to%20be%20tendered
  2. https://www.upcounsel.com/obligation-of-contracts 
  3. https://blog.ipleaders.in/obligations-parties-contract/ 

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