How do you prove repudiation?

Courts consider different factors when deciding if repudiation has occurred, such as the party's words or actions highlighting either their inability or unwillingness to fulfill their contractual obligations.

How to Respond to Repudiation of a Contract

Have you ever been in a situation where someone won’t stick to their end of the deal?

When a legally binding agreement is involved, that is known as contract repudiation — one party’s indication that they will not fulfill their obligations under a contract.

It’s like saying, “Nah, I’m out,” whether by verbal refusal or actions, making it impossible to follow through with contract performance.

Let’s dive deeper into this concept so you can mitigate risks and efficiently navigate contract breaches if they occur.

Key takeaways

Contract repudiation occurs when one party, either verbally or through the way they conduct themselves, refuses to follow agreed obligations.
Repudiation serves as a precursor to a breach, signaling an intention not to fulfill contractual obligations, turning into a breach of contract if the non-compliance persists.
The three main types of contract repudiation recognized by courts have to do with express refusal, actions rendering performance impossible, and transfer of subject matter.
Responding to repudiation involves reviewing the contract, documenting the breach, attempting to resolve the issue with remedies, seeking legal advice, and, if necessary, taking legal action to enforce rights under the contract.

What is repudiation of a contract?

Repudiation of a contract occurs when one party shows or says that they refuse or become unable to honor their contractual obligations.

Imagine an entrepreneur, James, providing raw materials for a supplier’s new product line.

The contract is linked as both parties agreed on it.

However, the supplier says that they can’t fulfill their end of the bargain due to unexpected circumstances.

This twist leaves James in a bind, forcing him to look for alternatives at short notice.

In that case, the supplier repudiates a contract, disturbing James’s business plans.

Is repudiation the same as a breach of a contract?

While repudiation of a contract and breach are related terms, they differ in timing:

Repudiation happens before or at the time contract performance arrives.

Think of a repudiation of a contract as a precursor to a breach, signaling a clear intention not to fulfill obligations.

A breach happens when one party fails to perform obligations as promised after the time for performance has arrived.

Repudiation can lead to a breach of contract if the repudiating party continues not to perform as supposed under a contract.

What does anticipatory breach mean?

When repudiation happens before the actual breach of a contract, it is called an anticipatory breach or anticipatory repudiation.

It’s like someone saying, “I’m not going to hold up my end of the deal” before they’re even supposed to do it.

This early signal of non-compliance enables the non-repudiating party to consider the contract breached and seek remedies without waiting for the actual breach to occur.

Types of repudiation

There are three main types of repudiation of a contract recognized by the courts:

Express refusal (express repudiation)

This occurs when a party explicitly states that they will not fulfill their obligations. It’s as simple as a seller saying to a buyer, “I refuse to supply the goods as agreed.”

Actions rendering performance impossible

When a party’s actions make it incapable or unrealistic to perform as promised, this constitutes contract repudiation.

For example, a construction company says they are only willing to demolish a building that they previously agreed to renovate — which they were obligated to do in accordance with their signed contract.

Since renovation (contract performance) is now impossible with the first vendor, the property owner must seek out another contractor.

Transfer of subject matter

This happens when a party transfers the contract’s subject matter to someone else without agreeing to that with the other party.

For example, a seller agrees to sell a specific piece of real estate to a second home buyer after signing a contract with another party looking to purchase it — that seller has committed a repudiation of the contract.

How do you respond to repudiation?

Responding to repudiation of contract involves several steps that help you protect your rights and interests:

Review the contract

Start from reading the contract terms to check each party’s obligations, deadlines, and remedies (if specified) in case of a breach.

Document the breach

This may be emails, invoices, or any other relevant communications that can show the breaching party’s failure to perform as agreed.

Attempt to resolve the issue

Try to discuss the breach with the other party and explore potential solutions.

This could include renegotiating the contract terms, extending deadlines, or seeking alternative forms of compensation.

Consider available remedies

Depending on the reason for the contract repudiation, you may consider remedies like seeking monetary compensation, specific performance (forcing the breaching party to fulfill their obligations), or contract termination.

Seek legal advice

Seeking advice from a qualified law firm will help you evaluate the validity of your contract, and therefore the strength of your case, and advise you on the best options available.

Send a formal demand letter

If the breaching party doesn’t want to resolve the issue right away, consider sending a formal demand letter outlining the breach, your desired remedy, and a deadline.

Explore alternative dispute resolution

Seek out mediation or arbitration to resolve disputes outside the court. It’s often faster, cheaper, and much more flexible compared to traditional litigation.

Consider legal action

If all the above-mentioned ways to resolve the breach fail, you may need to file a lawsuit to enforce your rights under the agreement.

At this point, using an attorney to help prepare and review necessary legal documents is likely the way to go.

Repudiation vs rescission

While repudiation refers to a party’s refusal to fulfill their contractual obligations, rescission is a remedy available to the representee.

This remedy is often used when the breaching party has made a false or misleading representation.

Repudiation of the contract is initiated by one party’s words or actions.
Rescission, as a remedy, is granted by courts based on legal grounds specified in contract law.

Equitable remedy vs legal remedy

An equitable remedy, working as an alternative to a legal remedy, is a non-monetary solution to address a breach of contract or disagreement between parties.

Legal remedies and equitable differ in their nature, purpose, and the circumstances under which they are granted by a court:

	Legal remedy	Equitable remedy
Nature	Usually involves monetary compensation.	Non-monetary remedies granted by a court as they aim to achieve fairness and justice without monetary compensation.
Purpose	The goal is to put a non-breaching party in the position they would have been in if the breach had not occurred.	Granted when legal remedies are inadequate or unavailable to resolve the issue fully.
Availability	Usually available in most contract breach cases.	Granted at the discretion of the court.

Simplify contract creation and management with PandaDoc

With PandaDoc’s contract management software, you can use customizable business templates for contracts, e-sign documents, and track and monitor all your agreements in one place for quick access in case any breaches occur.

A detailed audit trail and version history within the platform allows you to quickly identify the root cause and track any modifications or amendments made to the contract over time.

Frequently asked questions

Instances where a repudiation of contract may occur are: when a party is unwilling to fulfill or attempts to transfer their contractual obligations; when a party’s actions inform that they will not perform as expected with the contract; or when a party either says or shows that they are unable to perform the contract because of some extenuating circumstance.
Courts consider different factors when deciding if repudiation has occurred, such as the party’s words or actions highlighting either their inability or unwillingness to fulfill their contractual obligations.

Disclaimer

PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.