Legal Articles

Merger Doctrine, Contracts

A “merger clause” is a common provision in a contract. It will usually state something along the lines of the contract being a “complete and exclusive statement of the agreement.” If a contract is a final, complete agreement, the parol evidence rule prohibits prior or contemporaneous oral agreements which vary or contradict the written terms…

Contracts: Terminating Third-Party Beneficiary Rights

Certain third-party beneficiaries to a contract may sue for breach of contract. This is true even though they are not a signer to the contract. There are three types: donee, creditor, and incidental. Donee and creditor beneficiaries may sue as a third-party for breach of contract, but incidental beneficiaries cannot. There are certain situations when…

Standing for Breach of Contract

“[O]nly parties to a contract and any third-party beneficiaries of a contract have standing to enforce that contract.” Verni v. Cleveland Chiropractic Coll., 212 S.W.3d 150, 153 (Mo. 2007). It is difficult to prove that you are a third-party beneficiary. The reasoning for this high hurdle is that courts are reluctant to spread breach of…

Economic Loss Doctrine

Contract claims and tort claims are generally separate theories of recovery. Indeed, “the mere failure to perform a contract cannot serve as the basis of tortliability.” State ex rel. William Ranni Assoc., Inc. v. Hartenbach, 742 S.W.2d 134, 140 (Mo.1987). In a similar vein, or stated differently, the economic loss doctrine prohibits a plaintiff from…

Contract: Time for Performance

Written contracts often include precise language covering when certain acts must be done. For example, contracts often include provisions as to when payment should be made and when parties are obligated to perform their contractual duties. What happens when a contract is silent on timing? When a contract does not specify a time for performance,…

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