



Someone without sufficient understanding of the language used in the contract.Someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol.Someone with a brain disorder (e.g., dementia).Generally speaking, people who fall into one or more of these categories may not have legal capacity to validate a contract: The court defines that understanding as “legal capacity,” and each party signing a contract must demonstrate this legal capacity for the contract to be valid. Of course, the reality is a bit more complicated, which is why contract law requires that all signatories demonstrate that they clearly understand the obligations, terms, and consequences of the contract before they sign. In simplest terms, an individual cannot sign away their rights. The main rule of validity for an acceptance is that it must be a clear and direct statement that all terms and responsibilities in the contract are accepted. The “mailbox rule” applies even if the acceptance is never received by the offeror. *In most states, an offer is considered accepted once it has been placed in a mailbox. Both sides must act, but if the actions are explicit and declarative, they will rise to the level of acceptance for the purposes of the contract. Acceptance must be explicit merely taking action on one side (for example, shipping unsolicited materials) is not enough. The court determined that assumption cannot create a contract. In that contract case, a man offering to buy a horse declared that he would consider the horse purchased unless he heard otherwise from the seller. This goes back to a legal tenant established in 19th Century Britain. Inaction is not considered acceptance for the purposes of a contract.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS CODE
For example, the Universal Commercial Code (UCC) acknowledges the validity of new conditions to an offer, as long as those conditions are made known to both parties and do not cause surprise or hardship. In general, a counter-offer is considered a termination of the original offer, but some circumstances allow for conditional acceptance. The offeree can communicate acceptance either verbally or in writing (including mail or email)*.Īcceptance can take many forms, including: Once the offer is presented, the offeree can decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.
