Question

Beverly decides to go on a great trip to Hawaii. She needs someone, however, to take care of her two dogs, Creaky and Toady, while she is gone. Creaky has hives, and Toady passes gas frequently because of a digestive problem. Beverly hires Frank three months in advance and they reach a contractual arrangement whereby he will be paid $200 for keeping the dogs for two weeks. Frank comes over two months before Beverly is set to leave, takes one look at Creaky and Toady, and declares that they are too creepy to be around. Beverly then hires Alice who agrees to care for Creaky and Toady. Two weeks before Beverly is set to leave, however, Alice calls and tells her that she just broke both her legs in an automobile accident, sustained other injuries, and has been put on bed rest for two months. Finally, Alice hires Betty to care for the dogs and heads off to Hawaii where she has a great time. Unfortunately, when Beverly returns home, she finds that Betty fell in love with Creaky and Toady and has absconded with them. It was a month before Beverly was able to get a court order requiring their return. Which of the following is true regarding Frank's refusal to keep Creaky and Toady?a. She failed to substantially perform but only committed an immaterial breach.
b. She is guilty of only a nominal breach because she had a good excuse for breaching.
c. She is discharged from performance because of frustration of purpose.
d. She is discharged from performance because of impossibility of performance.
e. She committed a material breach.

Answer 1

Answer:

d. She is discharged from performance because of impossibility of performance.

Explanation:

Alice's refusal to keep Creaky and Toady can be based on fact that She is discharged from performance because of impossibility of performance. Discharge of contract by impossibility of performance usually occurs when the contractual duty cannot be performed due to unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances, such as death, illness etc, which can lead to the party been released from a contract on the ground that such uncontrollable circumstances have rendered performance impossible.