Contract Law
What is a contract?
A contract is a legally binding agreement between two or more parties.
It creates:
- rights and obligations for the parties involved
- enforceable by law
It obeys:
- General Principle (Code Civil)
- Special Principle:
- Commercial Code
- Protection of the customer
Stages of a contract
- Negotiation - parties discuss the terms of the contract
- Conclusion - parties agree to the terms of the contract
- Execution - parties perform their obligations under the contract
Principles of a contract
- Freedom of contract - parties are free to negotiate and agree to the terms of the contract
- Binding force - parties are bound by the terms of the contract
- Good faith - parties must act in good faith when negotiating and performing the contract
- Loyalty & Cooperation - parties must cooperate and work together to perform the contract
Written Contract
Negotiation
Any type of communication about the conclusion or not of the contract is considered as a negotiation.
Bad Faith Negotiation
Negotiation in bad faith is when one party does not intend to conclude the contract.
Bad faith shows if:
- the party does not intend to conclude the contract
- the party is not willing to conclude the contract
- the party is abusive in the negotiation
Bad faith can be proven by:
- proving the bad faith intent
- individual situations:
Consequences
- the party in bad faith is liable for
- if : no compensations
- cannot be compensated
Oral Negotiation
Oral negotiation is when the parties discuss the terms of the contract orally.
- Usually better for minorities => freedom to stop, back out, change mind, etc...
Written Negotiation
Written negotiation is when the parties discuss the terms of the contract in writing with a written act (not equal to a contract).
- Usually better for majorities => more security, more proof, more evidence, etc...
Promise of Contract
A promise of contract is when one party promises to conclude a contract with another party.
- EXCEPTION: employment contract
- Obeys civil law
It includes:
- All the essential information of the contract
- Deadline to accept or refuse
Changing mind about a promise before deadline
2016 Contract Law Reform: the party who made the promise cannot change their mind before the deadline.
- The party has the obligation to accept the contract
Preferential Beneficiary Act
The preferential beneficiary act is when one party promises to conclude a contract with another party, but the promise is made to a third party.
Example


- The seller promises to sell the house to PERSON A
- The seller sells the house to PERSON B
Consequences
- PERSON A can ask for DAMAGES (good faith)
- If we can prove that PERSON B knew about the promise with PERSON A, we can ask the court to replace the contract with PERSON B by a contract with PERSON A
Conclusion
The conclusion of a contract is when the parties agree to the terms of the contract.
The conclusion needs to be VALID and LEGAL.
- Both parties need to be capable of signing the contract (age, mental health, etc...)
- Both parties need to consent to the contract
- The content needs to be: precise and legal
Mutual Consent
Mutual consent is when both parties agree to the terms of the contract.
- Offer and acceptance are the two elements of mutual consent
- Offer is when one party proposes to conclude a contract with another party
- Acceptance is when the other party accepts the offer
Offer
An offer is when one party proposes to conclude a contract with another party.
- Includes all essential elements of the contract
- Precise, clear and detailled
- Not vague or unclear
Acceptance
Acceptance is when the other party accepts the offer.
- Clear
- Externalized: expressed in clear, public and externalized way
The conclusion does not need to be written, UNLESS REQUIRED BY LAW
Conclusion = contract MUST BE EXECUTED, RESPECTED = BINDING
Revocation of consent
Revocation of consent is when one party changes their mind about their consent.
If some information are known after the consent and affect the consent, (and ask for damages).
Error
Error is when one party makes a mistake in the contract.
Difference between the reality we thought existed VS the reality that actually exists. = misunderstanding
- EXCUSABLE: not preventable, not predictable => (and ask for damages)
- INEXCUSABLE: preventable, could have been avoided => no consequences, the contract is still valid.
Errors are reviewed on individual situations/basis.
Errors about price are NEVER excusable. (except for art pieces)
Fraud
Fraud is when one party lies to the other party.
Fraud only if:
- MISTAKE: a mistake was made due to the difference between the reality we thought existed VS the reality that actually exists.
- INTENT: the party intentionally lied to the other party in order to make them sign the contract.
Fraud MUST be about an essential element of the contract and known by both parties.
VICTIM is always excusable! => cancel + damages
Link of dpendance = force the parties to agree because it's their only chocie
Economic Violence
Economic violence is when one party forces the other party to sign the contract.
- Parties: link dependance (employee/employer) = need each other
- Threat: threat of an action (verbal, physical, etc...) => exploiting the link of dependance
- Gain: the party wants to maximize gain
Content
The content of the contract needs to be precise and legal.
The content must include:
- Object of the contract
- Price of the contract
Only parties and stakeholders can cancel the contract.
Object
The object of the contract is the subject of the contract.
- Legal: the object must be legal BY LAW or BY PUBLIC INTEREST (not equal to morality)
- Determined: the object must be or
Price
The price of the contract is the amount of money paid for the contract.
- Determined: the price must be or
Problems with price
Problems with price are when the price is not determined or able to be determined.
If the price is missing or not determined, the contract is VOID.
- The judge cannot determine the price for the parties. It will appoint an expert to determine the price.
Execution
The execution of a contract is when the parties perform their obligations under the contract.
In case of non-respect of the contract, or delay => DAMAGES
Stipulations
Stipulations are the obligations of the parties under the contract.
Stipulations can be problematic and be the reason to cancel the contract.
Imbalance
A stipulation is problematic when it creates a significant imabalance between the parties.
- How is stipulated? How is formed? Is it clear?
- Effect of the stipulation? Does it effect the balance?
If no justification of the stipulation, the contract can be cancelled or renegotiated.
Examples
- Abuse in the price: the price is too high
- Puts in danger financial stability
Change in circumstances
A stipulation is problematic when it creates a significant imbalance between the parties due to a change in economical circumstances.
- Force majeure: event that was inevitable, unforeseeable
- Non-predictable event: event that could not be predicted at the time of the conclusion
Principle of loyalty & cooperation: parties must renegotiate the contract.
Procedure
- Notify the other party. Ask for renegotiation.
- If no renegotiation, ask the court to:
- cancel the contract
- ask for damages.
If contract is concluded => CONTRACTUAL RESPONSABILITY.
If contract is not concluded => EXTRA-CONTRACTUAL RESPONSABILITY.
The stipulation can cancelled but the contract can still be valid.
Damages
- Cost spent
- Lost of a change (lost opportunity, lost time)
- Damages
Only if:
- Proof from the asker
- Proof of a loss (financial, moral, time, etc...)
- Loss has to be DIRECT (link between the parties)
- Loss has to be personal (not for a third party)
Financial Loss
Financial loss is when one party loses money due to the contract. It is easily calculated.
Moral Loss
Moral loss is when one party loses their reputation due to the contract. It is difficult to calculate.
- Calculated by lawyers
- Compared to similar cases in the past
Electronic Contract
It obeys:
- General Principle (Code Civil)
- Special Principle:
- Commercial Code
- Protection of the customer
- Data Protection:
Channels
Channels are the different ways to communicate electronically. (B->C, B->B, Administration ->C)
- Website
- Platform
Stages
Stages are the different steps of an electronic contract.
- Before: how do we negotiate? how do we exchange information?
- Conclusion: how do we formulare offer? how do we formulate acceptance? what is the date?
- Execution: Keeping records. Right to retract.
Before Conclusion
Before conclusion is when the parties discuss the terms of the contract.
-> GENERAL CONDITIONS must be clear and accessible.
General Conditions cannot be accessible by hyperlinks or link to another page.
This stage must allow the parties to:
- Ask follow-up questions: via AI chatbot or window chat
Consumer can stop at ANY TIME.
Conclusion
Conclusion is when the parties agree to the terms of the contract.
Acceptance => electronic email or website.
The acceptance must includes a Two-Step validation (double-click):
- Validation: the party validates the contract
- Confirmation: the party confirms the contract
This is done to protect and assure the consent of the party.
The professional cannot change the contract after the firs validation. (first click)
Date
The date of the contract is the date of the acceptance.
- Date of the acceptance: the date of the second click
In case of emails:
- We assume emails are received immediately.
- 90% of the cases: the date is the date we sent the email (favorable to the customer).
- 10% of the cases: the date is the date the email was received.
Execution
- Renegotiation: Business is not obliged to renegotiate (no principle of loyalty & cooperation).
- Cancellation: No extra cost. Cancel at any time.
- Retraction: 14 days to retract. If there is cost, business must pay!
Cancel = executation has not started yet.
Retract = execution has started.
Renegotiation, Cancellation and Retraction must happen the same way as the conclusion (email, website, ...).
If the price is >120€, electronic copy of record for 10 YEARS.
Content
- Object: legal + clear
- Price/Remunation: determined or able to be determined
- Description of how it is concluded
- Description of ways to correct/complete mistakes/information
- In the language of the customer
- Reference to the legal text that applies to it (French Laws or European Laws)
- Description of the record keeping + access to the record
- How many copies of the contract there are. ONLY ONE COPY FOR THE CUSTOMER.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Speed: faster
- Cost: cheaper
- Accessibility: accessible to everyone
- Traceability: easy to keep records
- Security: secure
Disadvantages
- Security: risk of hacking
- Accessibility: not accessible to everyone
- Negotiation: takes more time
- Retraction: can be costly
- Compensation: no compensation/damages
Case study
- Is the contract electronic or written?
- At which stage is the contract?
Summary
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