United States Contract Law


Statute of Frauds

Ordinarily, contracts do not have to be in writing to be enforceable. However, certain types of contracts do have to be reduced to writing to be enforceable, to prevent frauds and perjuries, hence the name statute of frauds, which also makes it not a misnomer (fraud need not be present to implicate the statute of frauds).
[edit]Types of Contracts Implicated
Typically the following types of contracts implicate the statute of frauds:
Land, including leases over a year and easements
Suretyships (promises to answer for the debts, defaults, or miscarriages of another)
Consideration of marriage (not to actually get married but to give a dowry, for example)
Goods over a certain amount of money (usually $500, as in the UCC)
Contracts that cannot be performed within one year