Does a signed contract supersede common law?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Does a signed contract supersede common law?
I rent cars to film companies using a signed contract. The contract clearly states that “the day rate shall remain in force until the vehicle is repaired”. The insurance company paid every penny of a $43,000 repair estimate. The vehicle will be out of service for 268 days total (80 days lost while inspecting it at several different shops and waiting for them to make payment for the repairs and 168 days of actual repair). The day rate indicated in the signed contract is $3,000 a day (Ferrari). Does the contract supercede the common law for liquidating damages? I am hearing yes and no.
Asked on July 15, 2010 under Insurance Law, California
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
California law used to be written to assume that liquidated damage provisions in a contract were invalid. California changed the policy of "presumptive invalidity" to a policy of "presumptive validity" in commercial, non-consumer contracts. Currently, with certain exceptions, a provision in a contract liquidating damages for a breach is valid unless the party challenging the provision establishes that it was unreasonable under the circumstances that existed at the time the contract was made.
A liquidated damages provision is not invalid merely because it is intended to encourage a party to perform, so long as it represents a reasonable attempt to anticipate the losses to be suffered. Here, if I did my math correctly, you want $804,000.00 in liquidated damages for the car, which is more than twice the value of a new one. I am hard pressed to say that a Judge will think that this is a reasonable amount. I think you are hearing "yes" and "no" because you are getting opinions from those not in charge, so to speak. Only the Judge can rule on this based upon the law and prior case law, with a little equity thrown in. I am sure that the Judge will need to look at all the variables: why it took so long to estimate and repair, how often the vehicle was rented out at that price over the last x amount of years as well as the damages amount claimed and the price. The only way to really "know" is to sue.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.