Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Formation of
Contract -LEGAL
CAPACITY
1. Why legal capacity is important to a
contract?
4. Life
5. Scholarship
insurance
contracts
contracts
Under these exceptions, the contracts become
valid and binding, even though the contracting
parties are minors. The minors can enforce such
contracts and also bound to any obligations or
contractual terms of the agreements.
Whenever there is a breach, minors can sue or be
sued under such contracts.
i. Contracts of Employment
Is an agreement that specifying terms and conditions under
which a person (employee) consents to perform certain duties
as directed and controlled by an employer in return for an
agreed upon wages and salary.
Children & Young Persons Act 1966: Any child or young person
shall be competent to enter a contract of service..otherwise
than as an employer
Child: below 14 years
Young person: 14 to 16 years
Contract of service (not as an employer)
Employment – performance of tasks as a servant
(employee) for reward
Apprenticeship – performance of tasks as an apprenticeship
(trainee) to learning a skill
i. Contracts of Employment
In addition, she would get no pay unless he actually employed her, which
he was not bound to do. The master further reserved the right to send her
abroad and the master could terminate the apprenticeship if, after a fair
trial, he found her unsuitable for stage dancing.
It was held, by Fry J., that the master could not sue the defendant for
inducing a breach of apprenticeship deed, as it was unreasonable harsh
and thus invalid
iii. Contract for Necessaries
• It is important to note that “necessaries” and not “necessities”.
• If an item qualifies as a necessary in relation to a minor, then that
minor has the legal capacity to enter into a contract to buy that
item.
• Necessaries are NOT the to be confused with necessities
• Necessaries – Things suitable to the station in life of a minor and
for which there is a real need.
•Issue of “suitability” to that minor after having regard to his station
in life.
◦ Ryder v. Wombwell
◦ Elkington v. Amery
• Issue of “real need” – Nash v. Inman
i. Whether it is suitable to that minor after having regard to his
station in life.
Ryder v. Wombwell
Wombwell, who was from a wealthy family, received a yearly
allowance of £500. Ryder sold a pair of solitaires worth £25 and an
antique goblet worth £15 to Wombwell, who was going to give them
away as presents. When Wombwell failed to pay for them he was
sued by Ryder.
HELD : the action of Ryder would fail as the solitaires and the goblet
were not necessaries. In spite of his wealthy background, they were
not suitable to his station in life.
Elkington v Amery
The defendant a wealthy minor , purchased 2 items of jewellery and
a gold vanity bag. The jewellery comprised 2 rings which the court of
appeal held to be necessaries as an engagement and a wedding
ring for his fiancée. The gold vanity bag was held not to be a
necessary.
ii. Whether he has an actual need for the item.
Nash v. Inman (1908)
Nash, a tailor, had supplied Inman, an
undergraduate, a large quantity of clothes
(including 11 fancy waistcoats) when Inman failed
to pay the price for the clothes supplied, Nash
sued him.
(1) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a minor who has attained the age of
ten years but has not attained the age of sixteen years, with the consent in writing
of his parent or guardian-
(a) may effect a life policy upon his own life or upon another life in which he has an
insurable interest; or
(a) may effect a life policy upon his own life or upon another
life in which he has an insurable interest; or
*Due to this, the minor is bound to observe all the terms of the
insurance policy. He himself is bound to pay the reasonable
insurance premium as required by the policy.
*The minor also entitled to whatever benefits as promised by
the insurance policy.
Minors below 10 years- The Ins. Act 1996 does not have
any provision relating to the legal capacity of a minor
who is below 10 years old. The absence of such provision
may be interpreted to mean that the law has no intention
of giving a minor such a tender age legal capacity to
effect life insurance. - No capacity
E.g. :
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION of
IJM CORPORATION BERHAD
(6) To carry on the trade and business of land developers, builders,
and contractors for, construction of houses, flats, factories,
workshops, commercial office, industrial and other buildings,
roads, bridges, canals, reservoirs, sewerage, drainage,
sanitation and conveniences of all kinds
A company is prohibited from indulging in transactions outside
its prescribed objects (Memorandum of Association)
Such transactions are termed ultra vires, which means they are
“outside the power” of the company.