Unforeseen Circumstances

Contractual Obligations During a Pandemic

When parties enter into a contract, they generally agree on basic terms and foreseeable contingencies. For instance, they determine who will do what and at what price, time for performance, what is to be considered a material breach, and how to handle disputes or late payments. However, they might not address things nobody expects, such as war, disasters, or the Spanish inquisition. And, of course, they probably do not address global pandemics that bring the economy to a slow crawl.