Neither party will be liable for inadequate performance to the extent caused by a condition (for example, natural disaster, act of war or terrorism, riot, labor condition, governmental action, and Internet disturbance) that was beyond the party's reasonable control.
Because the concept is foreign, lawyers who review or draft contracts governed by U.S. law should start with the assumptions that 1) principles of force majeure will not be implied in a contract that does not expressly provide for them, and 2) U.S. courts will interpret and apply force majeure provisions narrowly.
Either Party shall be excused from performance and shall not be in default in respect of any obligation hereunder to the extent that the failure to perform such obligation is due to a Natural Force Majeure Event.
Sample Language 3 The Parties hereby acknowledge that while current events related to the current epidemic/pandemic are known, future impacts of the outbreak are unforeseeable and shall be considered a Force Majeure event to the extent that they prevent the performance of a Party's obligations under this Agreement.
For events to constitute the use of force majeure, they must be unforeseeable, external to contract parties, and unavoidable. Force majeure means “greater force” and is related to an act of God, an event for which no party can be held accountable.
How to apply for force majeure leave. You must tell your employer as soon as possible that you need to take force majeure leave. As soon as you return to work, you must make your application in writing to your employer.
The Force Majeure clause should clearly identify the obligations that will be excused in the event of a Force Majeure event. The clause may specify that all obligations will be excused or only certain obligations, depending on the nature of the contract and the parties' preferences.
If a contract is silent on force majeure or if the event does not meet the definition of force majeure under the parties' contract, a party's performance may still be excused in certain circumstances under the doctrine of commercial impracticability.
Most clauses will provide that if the impact of the force majeure event is not lifted within a certain time, for example 6 or 12 months, then the parties will have the right to terminate the contract. The parties should also consider the knock-on effect on other provisions under the contract.
If force majeure continues to a point where performance would be radically different from that contemplated, the contract will be frustrated, and terminated, without recourse by either party.