Commonly referred to as “acts of God”, force majeure events are unforeseeable, exceptional or out with the control of contracting parties. Examples include natural disaster, terrorism, industrial strike action, fire and pandemic/epidemic events such as Covid-19.
Examples of events that might trigger a force majeure clause into effect include a declaration of war, a disease epidemic, or a hurricane, earthquake, or other natural disaster events that fall under the legal term, “act of God.”
Commonly referred to as “acts of God”, force majeure events are unforeseeable, exceptional or out with the control of contracting parties. Examples include natural disaster, terrorism, industrial strike action, fire and pandemic/epidemic events such as Covid-19.
Clause 19.1 defines a force majeure event as one: which is beyond a Party's control, which such Party could not reasonably have provided against before entering into the Contract, which, having arisen, such Party could not reasonably have avoided or overcome, and.
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.
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.
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.
Typically, the clause will define the specific events or circumstances that qualify as force majeure, providing a non-exhaustive list of examples. These examples often encompass natural disasters, acts of God, riots, embargoes, or any other events that are considered extraordinary and beyond the control of the parties.
Force majeure incidents typically include wars, natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes), terrorist attacks, epidemics, and civil unrest, such as riots. The concept of force majeure originated in French civil law as part of the Napoleonic Code and has been incorporated into the common law and civil law of many countries.
Ingly, we write to request NATURE OF RELIEF SOUGHT due to the unforeseen impact of THE FORCE MAJEURE EVENT. ADD ASSURANCES IF NECESSARY – for example: “_______ fully intends to continue our business relationship pursuant to the Contract once the FORCE MAJEURE EVENT has ended/subsided/ceased/etc.”