Tortious interference with business expectancies or contractual relations claims are difficult to make. Tortious interference in Missouri has five elements: (1) the plaintiff was involved in a valid business relationship; (2) the defendant was aware of that relationship; (3) the defendant intentionally interfered with that relationship, inducing its termination; (4) the defendant acted without justification; and…
Legal Articles
Reformation Statute of Limitations
Reformation is a legal theory used to correct mistakes in a legal document. More technically, it is an “extraordinary equitable remedy and should be granted with great caution and only in clear cases of fraud or mistake.” Morris v. Brown, 941 S.W.2d 835, 840 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997). For example, in cases of mistake, the mistake…
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…
Making of a Contract, Long-Arm Statute
Missouri can often (but not always) hear disputes about contracts made within Missouri. Section 506.500, RSMo. Specifically, Missouri’s “long-arm” statute permits the exercise of jurisdiction when the dispute relates to the “making of any contract within this state.” Id. The exercise of jurisdiction must also meet certain federal constitutional requirements. When is a contract made within this…
Material Breach, Substantial Performance
There’s a distinction between a breach of contract and a material breach of contract. Depending on the legal situation, the distinction is quite significant. For example, if a party first materially breaches the contract, the party may not be able to sue subsequently to enforce the contract. The reasoning is that if they don’t follow…
Outbound and Inbound Forum Selection Clauses
A forum selection clause is where a contract picks the place where any disputes must be litigated. There are outbound and inbound clauses. An outbound clause provide for venue in a different state. An inbound clause provides for venue within Missouri, usually in a particular county. Missouri law favors forum selection clauses and presumes them…
Contracts, Agreements to Agree
Breach of contract requires: (1) existence and terms of a contract, (2) plaintiff fully performed under the contract, (3) breach by defendant, and (4) damages. Keveney v. Missouri Military Academy, 304 S.W.3d 98, 104 (Mo. 2010). To prove the existence and terms of a contract, there must be: (1) competency of the parties to contract;…
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…
Adhesion Contracts, Unconscionability, Reasonable Expectations
Missouri law does not honor unenforceable contracts of adhesion. An adhesion contract is essentially a take it or leave it proposition. One party accepts the contractual terms of the other party. It is “a form of contract created and imposed by a stronger party on a weaker one.” Swain v. Auto Servs., Inc., 128 S.W.3d…
Objective Theory of Contract Acceptance
In any breach of contract dispute or litigation, it’s essential to first establish that the underlying agreement is a legally enforceable contract. In other words, whether there was a “meeting of the minds” between the contracting parties is essential. Particularly in the absence of a signed writing, this is not a straightforward inquiry. In Missouri,…