Contracts 6

Which of the following service contracts must satisfy the Statute of Frauds to be enforceable?

A contract for one month of service that is to begin 13 months in the future

Which of the following contracts must be evidenced in writing?

A mortgage contract

At common law, the Statute of Frauds requires _____________ signed by ____________.

A writing or writings reflecting the material terms of the contract; the party to be held liable

Certain agreements, by statute, must be evidenced by a writing signed by the parties sought to be bound. This is commonly known as:

The Statute of Frauds

A man and a woman met in a bar. While the two enjoyed a couple of drinks, the woman told the man that she greatly admired the diamond stickpin he had in his lapel. "Oh, this," the man laughed. "It's no diamond; it's only a piece of glass." The woman acknowledged his statement, but kept commenting on how nice it looked. After further conversation, the man orally agreed to sell the stickpin to her for $500. They agreed that in four days, the man would bring the stickpin to the same bar, and the woman would bring the $500 in cash. The woman wrote down her name and phone number on a napkin and asked the man to call her if there were any change in plans. The man duly appeared with the pin, but the woman failed to appear. The man filed suit against the woman for $500. In an action by the man against the woman for breach of contract, which of the following would be the woman's best defense?

The agreement violated the Statute of Frauds.

A landowner advertised in the newspaper that he wished to sell 40 acres of land at $10,000 per acre. A rancher who was looking to expand his holdings was interested, so he came out to inspect the property. After the inspection, the rancher agreed to purchase the land for $400,000. A contract for the sale of the 40 acres was prepared and signed by the landowner and the rancher. The contract failed to state the purchase price. Later, the rancher had a change of heart and refused to complete the purchase. In the landowner's lawsuit for breach of contract, for which party would the court likely hold?

The rancher, because the Statute of Frauds would require the contract to contain the price in order to be enforced.

A landowner and a purchaser orally agreed that the landowner would convey 20 acres of his 160-acre farm to the purchaser. At the time of their agreement, the landowner wrote on the back of an envelope, "I hereby promise to convey the northern 20 acres of my farm to [the purchaser] for $10,000." One month later, the purchaser tendered $10,000 to the landowner, but the landowner refused to convey the 20 acres. If the purchaser sues the landowner to convey the land and the landowner prevails, what will be the most likely reason?

The writing was not signed by the landowner.

On April 15, a wholesaler of tulip bulbs telephoned a local nursery and offered to sell to the nursery 80 gross of tulip bulbs for $8,000, not including delivery charges. The nursery accepted immediately. On April 17, the nursery sent the wholesaler an email confirming the deal for the sale of 80 gross of tulip bulbs for $8,000, and stating that it anticipated a waiver of the delivery charges because of the size of the order. On May 3, the wholesaler telephoned the nursery and stated that, due to a poor growing season for tulips, it would not be able to supply any tulip bulbs to the nursery. If the nursery brings suit against the wholesaler and the wholesaler asserts the Statute of Frauds as a defense, will the nursery prevail?

Yes, because its April 17 email contained the quantity term.