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.
Force majeure does not formally end until performance is no longer affected in the way described in the force majeure clause. For example, if the clause requires performance to be “prevented or hindered”, force majeure does not end until performance is no longer prevented or hindered.
In real estate, force majeure refers to a contractual clause that allows parties to suspend or terminate their obligations when certain events beyond their control occur, making performance inadvisable, commercially impracticable, illegal, or impossible.
What Are Examples of Force Majeure? Events that could trigger a force majeure clause include war, terrorist attacks, a pandemic, or natural disasters that fall under the “act of God” category, such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane.
Force Majeure Clauses “Often likened to impossibility, it historically embodied the notion that parties could be relieved of performing their contractual duties when performance was prevented by causes beyond their control, such as an act of God.”
What is a Force Majeure Clause? A force majeure (pronounced “forss ma-zhoor”) clause is a provision in a contract that allows one or both parties to excuse (or sometimes delay) their performance obligations if circumstances beyond their control arise. These circumstances are typically called “force majeure events.”
The major difference in such cases is that, without a force majeure clause, the party that wants to be released from contract obligations has the burden of proof, which means that this party must prove their argument is correct. If the other contracting parties do not agree, this could lead to litigation.
A "force majeure" clause (French for "superior force") is a contract provision that relieves the parties from performing their contractual obligations when certain circumstances beyond their control arise, making performance inadvisable, commercially impracticable, illegal, or impossible.
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.