Contracts 2024

Casebook

This website is the syllabus.

Learning outcomes: To acquire a detailed knowledge of the black letter law of contracts and the ability to use that knowledge in problem-solving analytical reasoning.

Important notices. Please read.

Access the tutorials website.


Consideration

The Basics of the Bargain Theory

August 19

Reading: Dougherty v. Salt

Tutorial: Consideration 1

Case tutorial: Dougherty v. Salt

PowerPoint: Consideration Basics Additional class hypotheticals
Download consideration flow chart

August 21

Nominal Consideration

Reading: Schnell v. Nell

Case tutorial: Schnell v. Nell

Tutorial: Consideration 2

Reading: Linder v. Mid-Continent

PowerPoint: Nominal Consideration

August 22

Illusory Promises

Reading: Wickham v. Farmers' Lumber

Case tutorial: Wickham v. Farmers' Lumber

August 26

The Implied Promise Solution

Tutorial: Consideration 3

Reading: Wood v. Lucy Lady Duff-Gordon

Case tutorial: Wood v. Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon

PowerPoint: Illusory Promises Hypotheticals

Reading: Laclede Gas Co. v. Amoco

Case tutorial: Laclede Gas Co. v. Amoco

PowerPoint: UCC 2-306 and Laclede

Summary of modern law

August 28

The Preexisting Duty Rule

Tutorial: Consideration 4

Reading: De Cicco v. Schweizer

Case tutorial: De Cicco v. Schweizer

Reading: Lingenfelder v. Wainwright

Case tutorial: Lingenfelder v. Wainwright

PowerPoint: Preexisting duty rule

August 29

Reading: Angel v. Murray

Case tutorial: Angel v. Murray

PowerPoint: Angel v. Murray

Promissory Estoppel

tutorial: Consideration 6

Reading: Central London Property Trust v. High Trees House

Case tutorial: Central London Property Trust v. High Trees House

PowerPoint: Promissory Estoppel

September 2

Labor Day, no class

The material under September 2 is completely optional. This just a convenient place to put it.

Giving Up a Legal Claim as Consideration

Tutorial: Consideration 5

Reading: Springstead v. Nees

Case tutorial: Springstead v. Nees

Reading: Mullen v. Hawkins

Flowchart: Giving up a claim
Flowchart: Debt settlement
PowerPoint: Debts and claims

Moral Obligation as Consideration

Tutorials: Consideration 7

Reading: Webb v. McGowin

PowerPoint: Moral obligaton as consideration

The Old Law on Benefit and Detriment as Consideration

Reading: Hammer v. Sidway

Benefit Detriment PowerPoint

September 4

Consideration Review

Interpretation

The Objective Intent Test

Reading: Embry v. Hargardine-McKittrick

Case tutorial: Embry v. Hargardine-McKittrick

tutorials: Interpretation 1, Interpretation 2

Download interpretation flow chart
Objective Intent Test PowerPoint Power to the People Hypothetical

September 5

The Hypothetical Intent Test

PowerPoint: Ambiguity

Tutorials: Interpretation 3,

Reading: Spaulding v. Morse

Case tutorial: Spaulding v. Morse

Hypothetical Intent Test PowerPoint

September 9

Other Approaches to Ambiguity

Tutorials: Interpretation 4, Interpretation 5

Reading: Berwick and Smith v. Salem

PowerPoint: Trade usage and Restatement 201
PowerPoint: Review questions--consideration and intepretation

Offer and Acceptance

Definitions of Offer and Acceptance

Tutorials: Offer and Acceptance 1

Offer and Acceptance 2

Reading: Lefkowitz v. Minne. Surplus Store

Traditional offer and acceptance PowerPoint

September 11

The Manner of Acceptance

tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 3

Reading: Davis v. Jacoby, Klockner v. Green

Manner of Acceptance

September 12

Duration of Offers: Termination and Revocation

Mostly via the tutorials

tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 4

Irrevocable Offers

Reading: Petterson v. Pattberg

tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 5

Reading: Drennan v. Star Paving Co.

Revokabiity and irrevocability PowerPoint

September 16

The Mailbox Rule

tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 6

Reading: Lewis v. Browning

Mailbox rule PowerPoint

September 18

NO CLASS

September 19

The Mirror-Image Rule

Reading: Ardente v. Horan

Mirror image rule PowerPoint

Tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 7

September 23

Reading: Poel v. Brunswick-Balke-Collender

Poel v. Brunswick-Balke-Collender

UCC 2-207

Reading:UCC 2-207

Tutorial: UCC 2-207

UCC 2-207 PowerPoint
Sowle and Santana hypothetical

Silence As Acceptance

Tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 8

Silence as Acceptance PowerPoint

September 25

Promissory Estoppel As A Cause Of Action

Reading: Hoffman v. Red Owl Stores

tutorial: Offer and Acceptance 9

Promissory estoppel as a cause of action PowerPoint
Review: 4 PowerPoint
Review: the 2014 exam

September 26

Remedies

The Expectation Measure

Basic requirement

Tutorial: Remedies 1

Reading: Hawkins v. McGee

Case tutorial: Hawkins v. McGee

PowerPoint: The expectation measure of damages
Sample exam question

September 30

The Duty to Mitigate

Reading:Rockingham Cty. v. Luten Bridge

Case tutorial: Rockingham Cty. v. Luten Bridge

Tutorials: Remedies 2

Mitigation PowerPoint
Longer hypothetical
Sowlefully yours

Hawkins, Tony, Luten Bridge PowerPoint

October 2

Foreseeability

Tutorials: Remedies 3

Remedies 4

Reading: Hadley v. Baxendale

Case tutorial: Hadley v. Baxendale

Doctrinal Foreseeability PowerPoint

October 3

No Class

October 7

Foreseeability: Information and control
Foreseeability information and control PowerPoint

Reading: EVRA v. Swiss Bank

Case tutorial: EVRA v. Swiss Bank

EVRA PowerPoint

Review PowerPoint

October 9

Proving Damages

Reading: Rambola v. Cosindas

Tutorial: Remedies 5

Proof requirement PowerPoint
Longer hypotheticals
Ed and Sally
Rimbaud

October 10

UCC: Seller Breach, Buyer Damages

Tutorials: Seller Breach I

Seller Breach II

UCC buyer's damages: examples

UCC sections: 2-712, 2-713, 2-714

UCC: Buyer Breach, Seller Damages

Reading: Neri v. Retail Marine

Tutorials: Buyer Breach I, Buyer Breach II

UCC seller's damages: examples
UCC sections: 2-706, 2-708

OCtober 14

Reliance Damages

Tutorial: Remedies 6

Reading: Security Stove v. American Railway Express

Case tutorial: Security Stove v. American Railway Express

Reliance Damages PowerPoint

October 19

Liquidated Damages

Tutorial: Remedies 7

Tutorial: Remedies 8

Reading:Truck Rent-A-Center v. Puritan Farms

PowerPoint: Liquidated damages
Extended hypothetical

Specific performance

Tutorial: Remedies 12

Reading: Laclede v. Amoco

Specific performance PowerPoint
Laclede v. Amoco PowerPoint

October 23

Cost of Completion Measure

Reading: Peevyhouse v. Garland Goal

tutorials: Remedies 9, Remedies 10, Remedies 11

Peevyhouse v. Garland Coal PowerPoint
Ways of measuring value

Restitution

Reading: Osteen v. Johnson

Case tutorial: Osteen v. Johnson

tutorials: Remedies 13, Remedies 14, Remedies 15

Restitution PowerPoint

October 25

Material Breach

Tutorial: Remedies 16

Reading: K & G Construction v. Harris

K and G construction PowerPoint
Review Questions PowerPoint

October 26

Cure

Reading: Walker & Co. v. Harrison

Walker and Co. v. Harrison PowerPoint

Tutorial: Remedies 17,

Rescission PowerPoint

October 30

Excuse of Performance

Cure PowerPoint
Excuse 1

Reading: UCC 2-508, UCC 2-601, UCC 2-612

A 2-508 example: 2015 exam and answer key

2015 exam 2015 exam answer key

Repudiation

Reading: Hochster v. De La Tour

Hochster v. De La Tour PowerPoint

Tutorial: Excuse 2

Reading: Hathaway v. Sabin

Reading: UCC 2-609

Sowle Brill virus hypothetical
Sowle Brill snowstorm hypothetical

Uncertainty

Tutorial: Excuse 3

Reading: UCC 2-608, 2-612

Hathaway v. Sabin and UCC 2-609 PowerPoint

November 6

Impracticabilty

Reading: Taylor v. Caldwell

Tutorial Excuse 4

Reading: Transatlantic Financing v. U. S.

Frustration

Reading: Krell v. Henry

Tutorial: Excuse 5

Taylor v. Caldwell PowerPoint
Impracticability and frustration PowerPoint
Impracticability and Frustration: Information and Control

November 8

Mutual Mistake

Reading: Griffith v. Brymer

Tutorial: Excuse 6

Mutual Mistake, Griffith v. Brymer

November 9

Assigning the Risk

Reading: Sherwood v. Walker, Wood v. Boynton

Sherwood v. Walker, Wood v. Boynton PowerPoint

Tutorial: Excuse 7

Unilateral Mistake

tutorial: Excuse 8

Reading: Elsinore Union School District v. Kastoroff

Unilateral mistake PowerPoint

November 13

Duress and Unconscionability

This material is left mostly to the tutorials

Tutorial: Excuse 9, Duress

Tutorial: Excuse 10, Unconscionability

Reading: Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors

Unconscionability PowerPoint
Unconscionability hypos

Written Contracts, Parol Evidence

Statute of Frauds

Reading: Notes on the Statute of Frauds

Review: 4 PowerPoint

Basic Parol Evidence Rule

Reading: Mitchill v. Lath, UCC 2-202

tutorial: Parol Evidence 1

Basic Parol Evidence Rule PowerPoint
Review

November 15

Complete Integration and Scope

Complete integration and scope PowerPoint
Sowle shoes
Cirque du Sowle review

Tutorials: Parol Evidence 2, Parol Evidence 3

Reading: Lee v. Seagram & Sons

November 16_

Entire Agreement Clauses and Contradictions

tutorial: Parol Evidence 4

Review
2014 exam (the essay questions at the end

Interpreting Written Agreements

Using parol evidence to interpret written agreements: PowerPoint

tutorial: Parol Evidence 6

Reading: Dannan Realty v. Harris

Tutorials only

Course of Dealing, Course of Performance, Trade Usage

tutorial: Parol Evidence 5

Dannan Realty v. Harris PowerPoint
2011 exam for review

November 20

Review no reading

Old exams and answer keys

Exam Answer Key
2018 Exam Answer key
2017 Exam Answer key
2016 Exam Answer key
2008 2015
2020 Exam
Answer key
2021 exam
Answer key
2022
2022 Answer key
PowerPoint: 2023 Review

Sample A, B, C, D answers with commentary

The question

A answer

B answer

C answer

D answer