That seems to me right. The plaintiffs’ internal memoranda make this absolutely clear. It is true that by this time the truth was known – that the throughput was very far short of 200,000 gallons – but nevertheless, the effect of the original mis-statement was still there. On 7th March, 1967 he gave up the site. The internal documents disclosed on discovery show that the decision of Esso’s head office to purchase this site in the first place was strongly influenced by, if not dependent on, it having an e.a.c. submitted on behalf of Esso that Mr. Leitch and Mr. Allen did no more than to proffer a forecast of the potential of the filling station. Moreover it was a warranted pup so that Esso are in breach of warranty and liable in damages accordingly. Do parties with special knowledge have to take care when giving “guarantees” in contract? "Marbury v. Madison," Mock Class with Professor Risa Goluboff - Duration: 45:34. It was on his calculations and recommendations that Esso had bought this site and developed it. Accordingly, so the Judge held, any loss suffered by Mr. Mardon while the second agreement was in operation and thereafter was unrelated to the negligent misrepresentation and to the breach of any warranty. Shorthandwriters Ltd., Room 392, Royal Courts of Justice, and Mardon tried his best, however he lost money. They needed him to keep the station as a going concern and sell their petrol. And the Judges of the Commonwealth have shown themselves quite ready to apply Hedley Byrne between contracting parties; see in Canada Sealand v. Ocean Cement (1973) 33 Dominion Law Reports (3rd) 625; and New Zealand Capital Motors v. Beecham (1975) 1 New Zealand Law Reports 576. It is one of those things which if you could agree that would be the best way. See Hedley Byrne v Heller as an example of this. For failure to perform his obligations, he may be made liable at law in contract or even in tort, for negligence in the breach of a duty imposed on him”. On the other hand there are dicta, particularly in the speeches in Heilbut Symons & Co. v. Buckleton (supra), which suggest a more restrictive or conservative approach, for example, Lord Haldane at page 37 said; “It is contrary to the general policy of the law of England to presume the making of a collateral contract in the absence of language expressing or implying it”. The present case is exceptional in that the evidence clearly demonstrates that the e.a.c. By paragraph 2 of their amended Defence to Counterclaim the plaintiffs averred that “save that the matters alleged to constitute representations and warranties are not admitted each and every allegation in paragraph 6 of the amended Counterclaim is denied”. Court of Appeal of England and Wales It was under the influence of this “fatal error” that Esso sought to find a tenant for the service station. It was a “fatal error”. You can rely upon it as being a sound forecast of what the service station should do. So Mr. and Mrs. Mardon could at any time have wound the company up by their own resolution and taken the money standing to its credit in its bank account for themselves as their own money. It would follow that, notwithstanding the fact that one party to the negotiations induced the other by a negligent misrepresentation to enter into the contract, the other would have no remedy unless one were available under the Misrepresentation Act, 1967. In effect, he discarded the more highly coloured parts of Mr. Mardon’s evidence on the ground that he had been living with and brooding over his grievance for a period of years which had affected the accuracy of his recollection. I also find that Mr. Mardon then indicated that he thought 100,000 to 150,000 gallons would be a more realistic estimate, but he was convinced by the far greater expertise of, particularly, Mr. Leitch. In September 1964 the plaintiffs appreciated that Mr. Mardon was in an extremely difficult position. They knew the traffic in the town. All that need be said is that, if those responsible for the original estimate were right when it was made, those who later maintained that figure to Mr. Mardon could hardly have had real confidence in its accuracy then. Before considering how those damages are to be computed, it is necessary to consider the “cut off” of the incidence of damage at 1st September, 1964 as found by the Judge. The learned judge’s reasons for rejecting Mr, Marlon’s contention that this was a warranty are summarised in this passage in his judgment: “I think the authorities indicate conclusively that to constitute a warranty a statement firstly must be intended on the part of the maker to constitute a promise which can be described as a warranty or, putting it into common language, a statement by which the maker says ‘I guarantee that this will happen’. Bisset v. Wilkinson (1927) Appeal Cases 117 fits into this scheme. Mr. Mardon complained that “he had been sold a pup”. Esso Petroleum Co. Ltd. v Mardon, [1976] QB 801, [1976] 2 All ER 5 None of the material facts is in issue, although the learned judge preferred the evidence of the plaintiffs’ witnesses, namely Mr. Leitch and Mr. Allen, to Mr. Mardon’s where they differed. 2 New Square, Lincoln’s Inn, W.C.2). What had happened was that he had been brought to the brink of bankruptcy in consequence of Esso’s false assertion as to the potential of the filling station. Mr. Allen telexed to his superiors on several occasions pressing for a decision. He was seen by Esso’s local manager, Mr. Leitch. The second agreement was thus in a practical sense an extension of the first for it was the best means that offered a prospect of salvaging something from the wreck for both sides. (Q) Would somebody have checked Mr. Leitch’s figures before they reached you? After paying all outgoings, such as rent, wages and so forth, there was a net loss of £5,800. MR MUKRO: I would be extremely grateful, my Lord. To the Judge’s summary, I would only add a few questions and answers by Mr. Allen in evidence: (Q) Now we know that the person who originally put forward this estimated 200,000 gallons forecast was Mr. Leitch? Esso Petroleum Co Ltd v Mordon 1976 Mr Mardon entered a tenancy agreement with Esso Petroleum in respect of a new Petrol station. Esso thought of putting in a bid for the site. They made a careful forecast of the “estimated annual consumption” of petrol. In my judgment he had scarcely an option to do otherwise. At an earlier stage in the company’s history someone wrote out some very formal looking minutes but it is absurd to suppose that Mr. and Mrs. Mardon sat down from time to time and held a board meeting. And thereby induced Mr. Mardon to enter into a contract of tenancy that was disastrous to him. This was agreed at the figure of £6,270. Court of Appeal of England and Wales cases, https://casebrief.fandom.com/wiki/Esso_Petroleum_Co._Ltd._v_Mardon?oldid=10986. a gallon, according to the amount sold. They insisted that the station should be built “back to front”. At the trial we nearly always succeeded on collateral warranty. Mr. Ross-Munro cited the New Zealand case if Bissett v. Wilkinson 1927 Appeal Cases 117 in the Privy Council but he cannot get much assistance or support from it. The result is that Mr. Mardon is entitled to substantial damages on his counterclaim. It was Esso who were anxious for him to stay on. Nevertheless, in their negotiations with Mr. Mardon, Esso adhered to their original estimate. But they never found him one. It was argued for the vendor that this was a statement of opinion and that it imported no representation of fact; but the Court of Appeal held otherwise. It is no concern of Esso where it came from, c.f. On 17th July, 1964, he wrote to Mr. Allen: “I reluctantly give notice to quit forthwith. This conclusion in this respect is a fallacious one and has its origin in an erroneous view of what took place between the parties in September 1964. He carried on as best he could with odd jobs for customers, like washing cars. COURT OF APPEAL No claim can be brought under the Misrepresentation Act, 1967, because that Act did not come into force until 22nd April, 1967: whereas this representation was made in April 1963. No one could have done more to make it a success. It was not his fault. The three conclusions are (1) that Mr. Mardon had a cause of action in tort for negligence but not in contract for breach of warranty; (2) that the measure of damages in tort on the facts of this case is narrower in tort than in contract; and (3) that the causal effect of the negligent mis-statement had become spent by September, 1964 which, therefore, became the so-called “cut-off point”, up to which Mr. Mardon could recover his losses but no further. It was provided by a private company in which he and his wife held all the shares. It culminated in a telex he sent on 28th August, 1964: “Unless we hear soon the tenant is likely to resign and we will have difficulty in replacing this man with a tenant of the same high standard”. That decision was affirmed in the House of Lords in 11 Clark and Finelly 1, when Lord Campbell, giving the one speech, said (at page 44): “… Wherever there is a contract, and something to be done in the course of the employment which is the subject of that contract, if there is a breach of duty in the course of that employment, the plaintiff may recover either in tort or in contract”. It would take him some time to do this. He goes on to say that the Hedley Byrne principle also applies, and that damages can be awarded on that basis. He raised an overdraft with the bank and used it in the business. They expressed their opinion and no contractual obligation in the form of a warranty or otherwise could be derived from it as it was honestly stated. It does not appear to have had any creditors either. Besides that experience, there have been many cases since I have sat in this Court where we have readily held a representation – which induces a person to enter into a contract – to be a warranty sounding in damages. They would understand better than anyone who was not in a similar position what effect such factors as location, size, appearance and accessibility would be likely to have; and, taking account of these and other matters they knew to be relevant, they could put forward not merely an informed but an authoritative assessment on which reliance could be placed by persons minded to enter into a business relationship with them. Esso Petroleum v Mardon QB 801 (Case summary) A statement of opinion may amount to an actionable misrep where the representor was in a position to know the … In this case they estimated that the throughput of petrol would reach 200,000 gallons a year by the second year after development. It holds that a statement of opinion can represent that one knows certain facts, and therefore one may have still made a misrepresentation. This was a serious drawback and was bound adversely to affect the station’s potential. We had to reckon, of course, with the dictum of Lord Moulton that “such collateral contracts must from their very nature be rare”. Mardon was told that Esso estimated that the throughput of the Eastbank Street site, in its third year of operation, would amount to 200,000 gallons a year. At the decisive interview Mr. Leitch was accompanied by the new area manager, Mr. Allen. MR. MUKRO, I was about to mention, as your Lordships no doubt appreciate, that there is another ground of appeal from my learned friend, successful as he has been for the moment, as to whether Mr. Justice Lawson was right only to give five years interest at 7 per cent. Esso Petroleum Co.Ltd v Mardon (1976) Facts: Mardon was buying a petrol station from Esso. I am afraid I take a different view. The e.a.c. Future predictions can be warranties if they are given with the intent to induce another party to enter into a contract, and they are relied upon in the decision to enter into the contract (these are called collateral warranties). The decision of the New Zealand case itself proceeded on a number of grounds. The new arrangement so far from being unrelated to the original agreement, offered a reasonable means of mitigating the damage and loss which Mr. Mardon had sustained through Esso’s default in regard to the first contract. It had already got outline planning permission for a filling station. Esso bought a new site for a service station. He was doing what he could to retrieve the position, not only in Ms own interest, but also in the interest of Esso. “on an entirely fresh basis, of which the negligent mis-statement formed no part”. 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