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.
Definition. 1. Force majeure is the situation-based doctrine under which a supervening event may excuse liability for non-performance, provided the supervening event is unforeseeable, uncontrollable, and makes the performance of an obligation impossible – thus qualifying as a “force majeure event”.
Termination — In cases where the force majeure event is severe and long-lasting, the contract may allow for its termination, meaning the parties are released from their obligations entirely because the event has made it impossible or impractical to continue with the contract.
Force majeure is a clause included in contracts to remove liability for unforeseeable and unavoidable catastrophes that prevent participants from fulfilling obligations. These clauses generally cover natural disasters and catastrophes created by humans.
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.
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.
Any events that are within the reasonable control of a party, occur as a result of negligence by one of the contracting parties, or are explicitly listed as exceptions in the force majeure clause, will not be deemed a force majeure event.
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.
There are generally three essential elements to force majeure: • tt can occur with or without human intervention • it cannot have reasonably been foreseen by the parties • It was completely beyond the parties' control and they could not have prevented its consequences.
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.