Contract Law in Hong Kong

Index

Index Acceptance (& see Offer & Acceptance) (by) Conduct: (in) Ignorance: 58, 59, 60, 77 (when) Not required: 38, 39 “Battle of the forms”: 50, 51 “Waiver” of communication: 54 Auctions: 43 Communication requirement: 52, 53 Conditional: 49 Corresponding with offer: 47 Counter-offer: 49, 50 Cross-offers as: 60 Faxed: Method of: 39, 54, 55 Multiple offers &: 51, 52 Postal: 57, 58 Requirement of: 4, 38, 39, 41, 47 Silence: 53, 54 Subject to contract: 47 Tenders: 47 Time of: 55, 56, 57 Unilateral contracts: 44 Unqualied: 52, 53 Accord and Satisfaction Meaning: 323–325 Part-payment: 325, 326 Requirement of: 323, 324 Advertisements Bilateral & unilateral contracts: 44, 45 Intention &: 117, 118 “Mere puffs”: 117, 118 (as) Offers: 44, 45 Afrmation Breach of contract &: 330, 337, 338 Duress and undue inuence &: 249 246, 278 Meaning: 205, 278 Misrepresentation &: 203, 205 Mitigation &: 339 Agency Exemption clauses &: 179 In operation: 154 Privity &: 179, 393, 400 Undue inuence &: 273, 274 Agreement (& see Offer & Acceptance) “Lock-out”: 71 Certainty: 54–71 Collateral: 151, 152, 153, 411 Commercial: 110, 115, 116 Conditional: 47, 48, 49 Domestic: 109, 112, 113, 114, 115 Enforceability of: 6 Formal requirements: 2, 133–143 Neither social nor commercial: 116, 117 Objective nature: 3, 15 Postal rule: 57, 58 Signicance of: 1, 2, 3, 9, 37, 38, 39 Time of: 4 Written agreements: the “parol evidence” rule: 150, 151, 152, 153 Anticipatory Breach (& see Breach of Contract) Acceptance of: 335 Denition: 330, 333 Innocent party’s election: 337–340, 381 422 Index Mitigation &: 339, 340, 381 Rejection of: 339 Right to sue immediately: 335, 338 Termination of contract via: 336 Time of assessment of damages: 383, 384 Auctions Legislation: 43, 44 Offer & acceptance &: 43 “Without reserve”: 43 Basic Law Reference to other common law jurisdictions: 25, 31, 33 Chinese customary law &: 31 Declaratory theory &: 33 Equity &: 384 Source of Hong Kong law: 13, 21, 26 Preservation of common law system under: 21, 24, 26, 27, 33 Breach of Contract (& see Anticipatory Breach) (no) Imprisonment for: 27 Actual: 331 Anticipatory: 330, 333, 335–340, 381, 383, 384 Condition: 145, 159–163, 167, 168, 205, 206, 331, 332 Damages for: 6, 146, 357–384 Equitable remedies for: 384–390 Excluding liability for: 146, 185–188 Frustration &: 342, 347, 350 Fundamental: 177, 178 Inducing: 125, 126, 293 Innominate term: 145, 161–167, 333 Minors not liable for: 129 Performance &: 326, 329 Promise of marriage: 95, 336 Termination of contract via: 323, 324, 330 Warranty: 145, 161–163, 167, 333 Business Liability Denition: 181 Collateral Contracts Consideration &: 152 Meaning: 152 Parol evidence rule &: 151–153 Common Law Flexibility of: 15 English (inuence of): 24, 25, 34 Source of Hong Kong law: 27, 28 Civil law &: 28 Local law &: 28 Judicial precedent: 29 Other jurisdictions: 29, 31, 33, 34 Chinese customary law &: 31 Declaratory theory of: 32, 33 Consideration at: 73 Intention at: 110 Remedies of: 357–384 Equity &: 13, 28–32, 97, 100, 101, 105 Legislation &: 6–8, 12, 14, 23, 28 Basic Law preservation of: 21, 22, 26, 27, 29 Meaning: 6, 8, 14, 28 Conditional Acceptance: 47–51 Gifts: 77, 83, 95 Conditions (& see Innominate Terms, Terms & Warranties) “Time of the essence”: 163, 164 Denition: 145, 148, 159–161, 163, 411, 412 Description: 159 Fitness for purpose: 159 Merchantability: 159, 160 Sale by sample &: 160 Signicance: 159–163, 165–168, 188, 205, 206, 324, 325, 330–332, 412 Title: 159 Consideration (& see Accord & Satisfaction) Adequacy: 73, 81 Benet/detriment as: 73, 74, 76, 77 Collateral contracts &: 152 Common mistake &: 233 Conditional gifts: 77, 95 Contracts under seal not requiring: 135, 295 Criticism of: 73, 74 Economic duress &: 261 Executed: 73, 74, 79, 412 Executory: 73, 79, 412 Forbearance to sue: 84, 85 Freedom of contract &: 13 Index 423 Illegal: 306, 307 Intention &: 109–111, 113 Invented: 83, 84, 95 Legal detriment: 75 Meaning: 1, 73, 74, 76, 412 Natural love & affection: 81, 95 Part-payment: 75, 76, 95–99 Past: 74, 77, 79, 80 Performance of existing duty: 86–95 Practical benet: 75, 76, 78 Price of promise: 74, 76, 78, 82 Privity: 80, 81, 179, 374, 393–397, 404, 407 Promisee (must move from): 73, 80, 413 Promissory estoppel: 84, 99–107 Purpose: 73 Requirement of: 5, 73, 74, 413 Restraint of Trade &: 311, 314 Sufciency: 73, 81 Termination by agreement requiring: 323– 326 Total failure of: 351, 375 Unilateral contracts &: 44, 83 Valuable: 74, 76, 78, 82, 83 Contractual Capacity Corporations: 10, 121, 122 Drunkards: 10, 121 Mental incapacity: 10, 121 Minors: 10, 122–131 Requirements: 6, 10, 119, 151 Corporations Contractual capacity: 10...