“Peter’s Pills” è la rubrica online di Legal English curata da Federnotizie, in collaborazione con Confprofessioni e Beprof.
Nel diritto dei contratti di common law, non tutti gli inadempimenti hanno lo stesso peso. Un Material Breach è un inadempimento contrattuale grave e sostanziale, una violazione che rende il contratto, così com’è, privo di senso per la parte che subisce l’inadempimento.
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Transcript:
Hello!
Did you know that “material” used as an adjective in English means “serious; significant; major; or important”? Therefore, we speak about a material difference[1] or a material alteration and we also say that something is material[2]to mean that it is of vital importance.
In contract law, a breach[3] of contract occurs when a party fails to perform their obligations. However, not all breaches allow the non-breaching party to terminate the contract; minor breaches usually only permit a claim for damages[4]. This is where Material Breach becomes critical.
A Material Breach is one of significant or substantial importance, affecting the very core[5] of the contract and substantially depriving the innocent party of the benefit they were intended to receive.
For example, if a builder is hired to build a house and fails to construct the walls properly, this is a material breach because it affects the entire purpose of the contract. On the other hand, if the builder paints the walls the wrong colour, this is usually a minor breach, not material.
This type of breach is often so serious that it is considered a repudiatory breach. Its consequence is that the innocent party has the right to treat the contract as immediately terminated, meaning they are discharged[6] from their future obligations and they can also sue[7] the breaching party for damages to compensate them for their losses arising from the failure to perform. The contract itself or case law often dictates what constitutes a “material” failure.
Thank you very much and see you next time for more Peter’s Pills to improve your Legal English!
Note
[1] material difference – differenza rilevante
[2] is material – è di importanza fondamentale
[3] breach – inadempimento
[4] claim for damages – chiedere il risarcimento dei danni
[5] affecting the very core – che incide sul cuore stesso
[6] discharged – liberata
[7] sue – agire contro; citare in giudizio
