Stevenson And Jaques

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S2801148 Task Two: Stevenson Jacques & Co v McLean (1879-80) L.R. 5 Q.B.D. 346 Queen's Bench Division Procedural History/Facts: The defendant, McLean offered Stevenson an offer for the iron at 40s per ton and stated in the telegram he would hold the offer open until Monday. On Monday morning Stevenson replied by telegram writing: ‘Please wire whether you would accept forty for delivery over two months, or if not, longest limit you would give’. McLean did not reply back and later the same day he sold the warrants for the iron and replied back to Stevenson’s telegram declaring he had sold the warrants. However before it was received Stevenson sent a telegram to McLean accepting his offer. McLean refused to deliver to Stevenson and subsequently was sued by him. The jury found the interaction between was of buyer and seller rather than that of principle and agent. Legal Issues: The ultimate legal issue that emerged was whether the interaction between McLean and Stevenson resulted in a contract in regards to purchasing of the warrant of iron. This brought about debate between the two parties and meant analyzing the telegrams that were exchanged between McLean and Stevenson to identify whether a contract was formed or not. Legal Reasoning: The defendant, McLean argued that the telegram sent by Stevenson to him on the Monday morning clearly indicated a rejection to his offer and was suggesting a new offer. Therefore he reasoned he had the right to ignore the new offer. Stevenson argued that his telegram was merely an inquiry and not a proposal for a new offer. He also reasoned that because of this, an answer was expected from McLean and the defended should have considered it as that. Reasons for judgment: The Judge found that no implied contract had been formed and based the decision on the time the telegrams were sent, and the fact that the

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