Cláusulas Contractuales, Sistema Anglosajón

A) THE TERMS OF A CONTRACT / PARTE DISPOSITIVA DE UN CONTRATO:

1. Covenants:

An agreement, convention, or promise of two or more parties, by deed in writing, signed, and delivered, by which either of the parties pledges himself to the other that something is either done, or shall be done, or shall not be done, or stipulates for the truth of certain facts.

Convenant = Obligación.Obligación: Es la relación jurídica en virtud de la cual alguien denominado deudor debe satisfacer una prestación en favor de otro llamado acreedor.

2. Conditions:

a) A future and uncertain event on which the existence or extent of an obligation or liability depends; an uncertain act or event that triggers or negates a duty to render a promised performance.

Condition = Condición.Condición: Cláusula en virtud de la cual la adquisición o la pérdida de un derecho se subordina a un acontecimiento futuro e incierto (v. Art. 528, Cód. Civ.). Por extensión, suele llamarse condición al acontecimiento mismo del cual depende la adquisición o la extinción de un derecho.

b) Loosely, a term, provision, or clause in a contract.
“This term condition is generally used to describe any fact,subsequent to the formation of a contract, which operates to make the duty of a promisor immediately active and compelling. Such a fact may be described as such in a term of the contract or it may not. In either event, the term of the contract should not itself be called the condition… It is not uncommon to speak of a condition of the contract as synonymous with term or provision of the contract.This should be avoided.” William R. Anson, Principles of the Law of Contract 226 n.1 (Arthur L. Corbin ed., 3d Am ed. 1919).

Condition = Condición.

Condición: Cláusulas que forman el contenido de una declaración de voluntad; en este sentido se habla de las condiciones de compra, de las condiciones de una licitación, etcétera.

c) Conditions are express terms (clear stipulations iin thecontract which the parties intend should be binding upon them) going to the root of the contract and for the breach of which the remedies of repudiation or rescission of the contract and damages are allowed. In other words, the plaintiff has the option either to affirm the contract, in which case the contract remains in being for the future, both parties retaining he right to sue for damages for past orfuture breaches, or to disaffirm the contract (treat it as an end, repudiate it). In this later event the contract ends from the moment of disaffirmation so that there remains the right to sue for damages for past but not for future breaches.

As opposed to British and American contract law, Argentine contract law does not draw a distinction between the different terms of a contract. Whereas inthe former legal system express terms can be classified as conditions or warranties, according to the remedies to which the plaintiff is entitled in the case of those terms, in our legal system there is no such classification.
After consulting several authoritative books on contract law, such as “Contratos Civiles y Comerciales” by Carlos Alberto Ghersi, and enquiring several lawyers and Lawstudents, we could not find a satisfactory translation into Spanish.

3.Warranty:

a- A promise that a proposition of fact is true. An assurance by one party to agreement of existence of fact upon which other party may rely. It is intended precisely to relieve the promisee of any duty to ascertain facts for himself; and amounts to promise to idemnify the promisee for any loss if the factwarranted proves untrue.

Warranty = Garantía

Garantía: En general, toda forma o mecanismo legal para asegurar el cumplimiento de una obligación.

b- Warranties are miinor terms of the contract, for breach of which the only remedy is damages. (See conditions A.2.c)

4. Representations:

An oral or written statement made by one party contemplating entering into a contract with another, and...