Amending sale of goods legislation in England and the Commonwealth Caribbean

• Author: John A. Epp
• Position: Of the Cayman Islands Law School [an affiliated institution of the University of Liverpool]
• Pages: 459-477

AM ENDIN G SAL E OF GOODS LEGIS LATIO N IN

ENG LA ND AND T HE CO MM ONW EALTH CARIBB EAN

JOH N A. EPP*

The law rega rdin g the domestic sale o f goods in Engla nd, and

those countrie s which followed its lead, is regarded as being

reasonably sound. The original statute, th e Sale o f Goo ds Ac t 1893,1

has withsto od t he test o f time, remaining basically inta ct th roug h to

today. The reas ons for its longevity are found in its simp le wording

and its achieveme nt o f reflectin g hundreds of years o f com mon law .2

Of cours e th e E nglish p rovisions regarding the domestic sale o f

good s hav e been modified some what ov er the years by statute and

jud ici al pronoun cem ents. Three statutory revisions are o f particular

note. Firs t, the additi on in 1973 o f a statutory definition of

‘merchantable qu ality’.3 Second, the res trictions o n co ntracting out

of the p rote ctio n provide d by im plied terms, first seen in the 1973

Of the Cayman Islands Law School [an affiliated institution of the University

of Liverpool].

56 & 57 Viet. , c. 71 (hereinafter referred to as 'the 1893 Act').

Law Commi ssion Report, Sale a nd Suppl y of Goods (1987 , No. 160, Cmnd.

137) (her einafter referred to as 'Law Com'), para. 1.5.

Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act 1973, c. 13, (hereinafter referred to as 'the 1973

Act') s, 7(2) adding s. 62(1 A) to the 1893 Act. Section 1 of the 1973 Act revised s. 12

of the 1893 Act regarding the implied undertaking as to title. Section 2 of the 1973 Act

revised s. 13 of the 1893 Act regarding sale by description. Section 3 of the 1973 Act

revised s. 14 o f the 1893 Act regarding undertakings as to quality and fitness for

purpose.

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Act4 and then refined in 1978.5 Finally, the consolidating ena ctmen t,

which rema ins as the core leg islatio n, the Sale o f Goods Ac t 1 979.6

Fif teen jur isdictions in the Com mon wea lth Caribb ean have

domestic sale o f goods legislation patterned afte r various vers ions of

the E nglish law.7 The 1893 Act is, with min or exception s,8 repeated

in th e le gislatio n of the followin g t en jurisdi ctions: A nguilla,9

Bah ama s,10 B arbado s,11 B eliz e, 12 British Virgin Islan ds,13 Gu yan a,14

Jama ica,15 Montserra t,16 St. Vincent and the G re na dine and St.

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Sectio n 4 revised s. 55 o f the 1893 A ct Section 55(3), as revised,

prohibited the contract ing out from the obligatio n under s. 12 (title) o f the

1893 Act, while s. 55 (4), as revi sed, prohib ited the contracting out of the

obligations placed on the seller in con sumer sales un der s. 13 (description),

s. 14 (quality and fitness for purpose) and s. 15 (sample) of the 1893 Act. In

the case o f non-consu mer sales, the revised s. 55(4) subjec ted attem pts to

limit lia bility unde r ss. 13, 14 and 15 to a reasonableness test . The test 'as

found in s. 55(5).

Unfair Contract Terms A ct ¡977, c. 50, (hereinaf ter referred to as ’the 1977

Act*), s. 6. Section 6( 1) prohibits the co ntracting out from the obl igation

unde r s. 12 of the 1893 Act, while s. 6(2), addressing co nsumer sales,

prohibits avo iding the obligations placed on the seller under ss. 13, 14 and

15 of the 1893 Act. Section 6(3), addressing non-consum er sales, subje cts

attempt s to lim it liability under ss. 13, 14 and 15 to a re asonableness test.

The rea sonableness test is found in s. 11. The onus to show the t est is

satisfied was placed on the party wishing to rely on the clause: s. 11 (5). The

latter pro vision was new.

C. 54, (hereinafter referred to as ’the 1979 Act’) effectiv e January, 1980.

Daly, S., "The La w Relating to Sale o f G oods in the Com monwealth

Caribbea n" (1989) 1(2) Ca ribbean Law and Busines s 88, 89.

Ibid. 89-90.

4.S amended in 1987.

1904.

1895.

1923.

As am ended 1957.

As ame nded 1972.

1895.

As am ended 1956.

1919.