Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract (HLS2X) | Unit 1: Four Principles | Intent to Create Legal Relations?

August 05, 2020

Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract (HLS2X) | Unit 1: Four Principles | Intent to Create Legal Relations? | Invitation to Dinner

Photo by Natalie Thornley on Unsplash

August 5, 2020

Contract Law: From Trust to Promise to Contract (HLS2X)

Unit 1 | Four Principles | Invitation to Dinner

Instructor Charles Fried, Beneficial Professor of Law:

My re-written lecture notes for Unit 1, Four Principles – Invitation to Dinner hyperlink: https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ar6iJPTO61dwxDbokSasOBPKRgDD

Question: In our first (1^st) case between Professor Fried and Portia coordinated dinner bargain activity through cooperation which leads to their trusts, promises, and commitments with one (1) another and, is this a contract that the government will stand behind?

Professor Fried will give us our first (1^st) example, the invitation to a dinner party case. And, Professor Fried is a professor, as you well know, and Portia is a very nice person who is his former student. And, Portia had graduated last year from Harvard University and, she had landed, her first (1^st) job at a prestigious law firm, as shown in our picture image below.

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Well, it turns out, Vincent who is a managing partner where Portia is a lawyer at this prestigious law firm. Also, Vincent is the person on whom Portia career depends on at this prestigious law firm. In addition, Vincent was a former student of Professor Fried many years ago, as shown in our picture image below.

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One (1) day, Vincent has a causal conversation with Portia, he had mentioned to her in which, he would like very much to get back in touch with Professor Fried. So, Portia had thought to herself, after, she had spoken to Vincent to coordinated a dinner party invitation plan along with her husband; in order to invite Professor Fried and Vincent to her schedule appointed date and time dinner party at her home. In cooperation with her expectancy responses from Professor Fried and Vincent to trust, promise, and commit into showing up at Portia dinner party because Portia thinks, she is a good cook and, Professor Fried and Vincent may enjoy her dinner reunion party between Professor Fried and his former students (Portia and Vincent). And, Portia would have cooked, a wonderful dinner for Professor Fried and Vincent to enjoy their wonderful prepared meals at her home. And, a good time would have been had by all at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity plan gathering from her other attendees including an attorney who’s who invitations guests list which has a very positive effect on Portia’s career standing, as an employee [attorney] performances in an emotional intelligence at this prestigious law firm would have confirmed and legitimatized Portia’s law profession career by ways of her being a colleague of a famous attorney (Professor Fried), as shown below in our picture image.

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All who[m] would have attended Portia’s invitations, as her guests are very busy people. However, all Portia invited guests has end up scheduling a date and time in which, all agreed on a set evening date and time together that works for Professor Fried, Vincent, Portia, and her husband in order for Portia to arrange a lovely dinner coordinated party bargain invitations.

Here is where Professor Fried and Portia legal question begins.

Portia had spent on her schedule coordinated dinner party bargain activity in an intrinsic values monetary type, after, she had spent a lot of money currencies on buying groceries and wines and, Portia had spent hours preparing for her dinner guests arrivals with her purchased and prepared full course dinner [includes apenitif, appetizer, salad, main course, cheese plate] and wines. And, Portia’s dinner schedule coordinated party bargain activity plan is going to be marvelous. And, you know, what has happened? Professor Fried did not show up at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain invite, as he has scheduled and promised, Portia.

Professor Fried no show at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation was not in fact, Professor Fried had forgotten about his schedule dinner party invite bargain, or something else has come up to legitimatizes his absents for not attending Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation. And, Professor Fried thought to himself, “oh well, why should I care about Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation”? However, Professor Fried would have instead rather go to the movie with his friend and, he had decided not to show up for Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation. And, what makes Professor Fried decision unsuitable or worse was he did not bother to call Portia in order to cancel his bargain invitation to Portia’s dinner coordinated party. Meanwhile, instead of everyone having a good time being had by all at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity, if Professor Fried would have shown up at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity instead, a bad time were had by those whom were presence at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain invitations. And, Portia’s dinner scheduled, and coordinated dinner party bargain activity plan was spoiled because Portia tried to keep her guest food warm in hope that Professor Fried would have eventually show up at her dinner coordinated party bargain activity. Now, Vincent is extremely annoyed and, Portia other guests altogether from Professor Fried absentee invite at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation. In what could have been a very nice social gathering only if, Professor Fried would have shown up at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation instead everyone is feeling awful and disregarded leaving Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invite.

Well, Professor Fried had promised Portia that he would show up for her dinner coordinated party bargain invitation. And, Professor Fried and Portia had coordinated a dinner party invitation agreement was similar to a bargain, as to what each party will do for the other. If, Professor Fried would have shown up at Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain activity invitation and, she would have cooked dinner for him, as a guest. And, this coordinated dinner party bargain invitation activity agreement between Professor Fried and Portia is similar to those restaurant establishment owners who[m] served any stranger[s] a meal who[m] is [are] seated at the restaurant establishment owners’ table and waited on in a non-verbal bargain agreement in an exchange for an intrinsic values payment in monetary currencies for those restaurant establishment owners’ services.

Now, Portia’s dinner coordinated party invitation bargain agreement between her and Professor Fried in which, Professor Fried had not shown up at Portia’s dinner coordinated party invitation. After, Professor Fried had agreed to attend Portia’s dinner scheduled, and coordinated party invitation and, is this a legal promise that the government should stand behind?

Portia is really, really angry and, she had decided, she will sue Professor Fried for breaking his promise for not showing up at her dinner coordinated party invitation. And, you know what? Portia is going to lose in an attempt to sue Professor Fried. And, you may ask, why is Portia is going to lose? Portia is going to lose because Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain invitation activity agreement between Professor Fried and Portia is an informal friendly interchange occasion in which, nobody is expected to end up in any court no matter what has happens.

Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain invitation lawsuit against Professor Fried is not a lawsuit the government will stand behind because an informal friendly interchange occasion does not create a legal relation. However, Professor Fried behavior does create an immoral or unethical relationship with Portia.

So, this is the first (1^st) principle, we have learned in this online lecture for unit one (1) which, you can apply to any given case. We can ask ourselves, if those two (2) parties intended to create legal relation? Sure, legal relation is true that Portia’s dinner coordinated party bargain invitation activity agreement between her and Professor Fried created an expectations but, their informal friendly interchange expectations to one (1) another are not something that any person would think should end up in any judiciary court system.

Why not? We will discuss further in our next online lecture for unit one (1).

Now, can you think of another informal friendly interchange occasions’ situations and legal relations where people make promises to one (1) another but, those parties does not expect to end up in any judiciary court system about them.