The PLEA: Contract Law

Contracts that take unfair advantage of minors, or are not in their best interests, have no legal effect. Generally, individuals under the age of 18 cannot be held liable for contracts that they enter into, unless the contract is for the “necessaries of life” or the minor has derived a real advantage from it.

“Necessaries of life” takes into account many circumstances in ones life, and may differ from person-to-person. Necessaries usually include things such as food, shelter, education and medical services. Saskatchewan law defines necessaries as goods suitable to the condition of life of the minor and the minor’s actual requirements at time of sale and delivery.

Minors have the option of cancelling contracts for non-necessaries. This affords minors some protection against reckless or imprudent acts. It also helps protect minors from adults who may wish to take advantage of a minor’s imprudent acts and have them enter into contracts for things they simply don’t need.

Regardless of your age and your position in life, read all pages of a contract, including the fine print. Never...

• sign a contract you do not completely understand.
• sign a contract simply because you want to get rid of a salesperson.
• take a salesperson’s assurances that part of the contract is unimportant and you do not need to worry about understanding it.
• sign a blank contract and allow someone else to fill in the details later.

If you still are uneasy about a contract, simply do not go ahead with it.