Purpose of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
Must be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies, which are:
Article 2 applies to:
What are “Goods”?
Goods are all items movable when identified to the contract. Also includes unborn young of animals and growing crops and other identified things attached to realty.
What is the essence of a “good”?
Tangible mobility
What is a “sale”?
passing of title from the seller to the buyer for a price
What is “title”?
Legal fiction representing a bundle of rights in or to property.
Example: drugs, you can possess them but don’t have legal rights to them.
What is “price”?
-Whatever it means to the parties, as long as it’s not a gift.
-Does not necessarily mean $$$.
-Flexible under UCC; have to look to the context.
Contract Interpretation Under Article 2 in order of priority
Express Terms
Most important source of meaning.
Provisions of agreement are clearly and unambiguously stated on the face of the contract.
Express terms control course of performance, course of dealing, and usage of trade.
Course of Performance
Sequence of conduct between the parties to a particular transaction that exists if:
1.Agreement involves repeated occasions for performance, and
Only express terms prevail over course of performance
Course of Dealing
Sequence of conduct concerning previous transactions between the parties to a particular transaction that is fairly to be regarded as establishing a common basis of understanding for interpreting their expressions and other conduct.
Trade Usage
Any practice or method of dealing having such regularity of observance in a place, vocation, or trade as to justify an expectation that it will be observed with respect to the transaction in question.
How to differentiate Course of Dealing from Course of Performance?
Course of Performance:
What did the parties do previously in the context of performing this very deal?
Course of Dealing:
What did the parties do previously in the context of other past contracts between them?
Merchant
A person:
Unconscionable contract
UCC does not define unconscionability.
What may the court do when finding a contract to be unconscionable.
Courts may decline to enforce contracts or clauses of contracts that the court finds to be unconscionable as a matter of law at the time of formation.
What may the parties do when the court finds a contract or a clause to be unconscionable?
the parties shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to present evidence as to its commercial setting, purpose and effect to aid the court in making the determination.
Characteristics of unconscionability
What does it mean for unconscionability to be a matter of law?
o Judge decides
o Freely appealable
Remedies for unconscionable contract or clause
What does “good faith” means?
“Good faith” means
* Honesty in fact
* Observation of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing
Article 2 structure of a contract
Contract Formation Elements
-Offer
-Acceptance
-Consideration
Offer
UCC does not define offer, we must follow common law:
Manifestation of willingness to enter into a bargain, which justifies the offerree’s acceptance.
Must be:
-reasonably certain
-communicated to the offerree; and
-not terminated prior acceptance