holder in due course breach of contract shelter rule how to protect against

by Eda Johnson 8 min read

The holder in due course is in a unique position with protection against others. In order to prevent this power from becoming abusive; they are still required to follow these rules: There cannot be any clear proof of forgery or unauthenticated action of the negotiable document, or instrument.

Full Answer

What is the shelter rule in an HDC?

A person who could not have become an HDC directly (e.g., because he had notice of a defense or claim) may become so if he takes as transferee from an HDC as long as he was not a party to any fraud or illegality affecting the instrument or had not previously been a holder with notice of a defense or claim. This is the shelter rule.

What are the defenses to the holder in due course rule?

Real defenses consist of infancy, acts that would make a contract void (such as duress), fraud in the execution, forgery, and discharge in bankruptcy. A 1976 trade regulation rule of the Federal Trade Commission abolishes the holder-in-due-course rule for consumer transactions.

What is a holder in due course (HDC)?

Under Section 3-302 of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), to be a holder in due course (HDC), a transferee must fulfill the following: 1. Be a holder of a negotiable instrument; 2. Have taken it: (1) that it is overdue or (4) that there is an uncured default with respect to payment of another instrument issued as part of the same series, or

What are the rights of a payee under the shelter rule?

While a payee may be an HDC, his or her rights as such are limited to avoiding defenses of persons the payee did not deal with. The shelter rule says that the transferee of an instrument takes the same rights that the transferor had. The Federal Trade Commission has abrogated the holder-in-due-course doctrine for consumer transactions.

What are some defenses against a holder in due course?

UCC Article 3 codifies the real defenses, listing them as (1) infancy, (2) duress, (3) legal incapacity, (4) illegality of the transaction, (5) fraud that induced the obligor to sign the instrument without knowledge of its character or essential terms (often called “fraud in the factum”), and (5) discharge in ...

What are the 4 defenses that can be used against an ordinary holder but are not effective against a holder in due course?

Duress, mental incapacity, or illegality that renders the obligation void (UCC, Section 3-305(a)) Fraud in the execution (UCC, Section 3-305(a)) Discharge of which the holder has notice when he takes the instrument (UCC, Section 3-601)

What is the shelter principle and who does it protect?

The shelter rule is a doctrine in the common law of property under which a grantee who has received an interest in property from a bona fide purchaser will also be protected as a bona fide purchaser, even if the grantee would not legally qualify for this status.

Is a holder in due course immune to all defenses?

A holder in due course takes a negotiable instrument free of all defenses that could be asserted by any party to the instrument. As a general rule, a holder in due course takes a negotiable instrument subject to any claims that could be asserted to the instrument by any person.

Which of the following would prevent a holder from becoming a holder in due course?

Constructive notice through public filing or recording is sufficient notice to prevent a person from being a holder in due course. Bill issues a negotiable promissory note to Paula, who indorses it in blank and delivers it to Allen.

What are the three 3 elements needed for a person to be considered a holder in due course of a negotiable instrument?

Requirements for Being a Holder in Due Course There cannot be any clear proof of forgery or unauthenticated action of the negotiable document, or instrument. The document must have been accepted for its value. It must have been accepted in good faith.

Which of the following defenses may not be set up against a holder in due course?

Which of the following defenses cannot be raised against a holder in due course? According to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), dishonor of a negotiable instrument occurs when: a presentment is made and a due acceptance or payment is refused or cannot be obtained within the prescribed time.

What is the benefit of being a holder in due course?

The holder-in-due-course doctrine is important because it allows the holder of a negotiable instrument to take the paper free from most claims and defenses against it. Without the doctrine, such a holder would be a mere transferee.

What is the shelter provision?

Pursuant to the shelter rule, the transferee of a negotiable instrument receives all of the rights of the transferor of the instrument, unless the transfer is carried out by fraud or illegal means.

What are the duties and statutory protection for holder in due course?

—A holder in due course holds the instru- ment free from any defect of title of prior parties, and free from defenses available to prior parties among themselves, and may enforce payment of the instrument for the full amount thereof against all parties liable thereon.

Which of the following is a personal defense that is not effective against a holder in due course of a note?

Failure of consideration is a personal defense and lack of consideration is a real defense. They are personal defenses which cannot be used against holders in due course. They are personal defenses which cannot be used against holders in due course.

What is the difference between real defense and personal defense?

Certain defenses, known as real defenses, are valid against ordinary holders as well as holders in due course, whereas personal defenses are only valid against ordinary holders.

What is a holder in due course?

The holder in due course is a concept that refers to the party who holds an important, and often negotiable, document. This document is sometimes referred to as an instrument because it is often an instrument of payment. This might include a bank note, draft, or check. The holder is temporarily the owner of the document that holds value.

What is due course in law?

The holder in due course is in a unique position with protection against others. In order to prevent this power from becoming abusive; they are still required to follow these rules: There cannot be any clear proof of forgery or unauthenticated action of the negotiable document, or instrument.

What happens if one party accepts an instrument but does not complete their end of the deal?

If one party accepts the instrument but does not complete their end of the deal, they are not the true holder of the item. There are two exceptions to this executory promise rule: If the instrument is given in exchange for a negotiable item. If the instrument is transferred from an irrevocable obligation to a third party.

What happens if you transfer an instrument of payment to a third party?

If the instrument is transferred from an irrevocable obligation to a third party. Additionally, the holder in due course must accept the payment in good faith. If there is any evidence of fraud or foul play, the holder in due course should not accept the instrument of payment. The holder in due course has specific rules ...

Who is the holder of a document?

At some point, the document is negotiated and used as a useful commercial tool. The holder is referred to as the assignee. They are in possession of the assignor's rights and liabilities. The holder is in a very important role. They are responsible for the document that is free of claims from other owners.

Can a holder collect an instrument to eliminate preexisting debt?

The holder could collect the instrument to eliminate preexisting debt.

What is the shelter rule for holder in due course?

The shelter rule#N#Under Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code, the transferee of an instrument acquires the same rights his or her transferor had.#N#provides that the transferee of an instrument acquires the same rights that the transferor had. Thus a person who does not himself qualify as an HDC can still acquire that status if some previous holder (someone “upstream”) was an HDC.

Why is the holder in due course important?

The holder-in-due-course doctrine is important because it allows the holder of a negotiable instrument to take the paper free from most claims and defenses against it. Without the doctrine, such a holder would be a mere transferee.

What is the meaning of UCC section 3303?

Section 3-303 of the UCC describes what is meant by transferring an instrument “for value.” In a broad sense, it means the holder has given something for it, which sounds like consideration. But “value” here is not the same as consideration under contract law. Here is the UCC language:

What is a holder in a contract?

Again, a holder is a person who possesses a negotiable instrument “payable to bearer or, the case of an instrument payable to an identified person, if the identified person is in possession.” Uniform Commercial Code, Section 1-201 (20). An instrument is payable to an identified person if she is the named payee, or if it is indorsed to her. So a holder is one who possesses an instrument and who has all the necessary indorsements.

What is a mere holder?

A mere holder is simply an assignee, who acquires the assignor’s rights but also his liabilities; an ordinary holder must defend against claims and overcome defenses just as his assignor would. The holder in due course is really the crux of the concept of commercial paper and the key to its success and importance.

Why did Carter argue that its motion for summary judgment should have been granted?

Carter argues that its motion for summary judgment should have been granted because, as a holder in due course, it has the right to recover on the checks from the drawer, Omni.

What is a holder in a commercial paper?

A holder is a person in possession of an instrument payable to bearer or to the identified person possessing it. But a holder’s rights are ordinary, as we noted briefly in Chapter 22 "Nature and Form of Commercial Paper". If a person to whom an instrument is negotiated becomes nothing more than a holder, the law of commercial paper would not be ...

What is the shelter rule for holder in due course?

The shelter rule#N#Under Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code, the transferee of an instrument acquires the same rights his or her transferor had.#N#provides that the transferee of an instrument acquires the same rights that the transferor had. Thus a person who does not himself qualify as an HDC can still acquire that status if some previous holder (someone “upstream”) was an HDC.

Why is the holder in due course important?

The holder-in-due-course doctrine is important because it allows the holder of a negotiable instrument to take the paper free from most claims and defenses against it. Without the doctrine, such a holder would be a mere transferee. The UCC provides that to be an HDC, a person must be a holder of paper that is not suspiciously irregular, and she must take it in good faith, for value, and without notice of anything that a reasonable person would recognize as tainting the instrument. A payee may be an HDC but usually would not be (because he would know of problems with it). The shelter rule says that a transferee of an instrument acquires the same rights her transferor had, so a person can have the rights of an HDC without satisfying the requirements of an HDC (provided she does not engage in any fraud or illegality related to the transaction).

What is good faith in UCC?

Section 3-103 (4) of the UCC defines good faith#N#Defined in the Uniform Commercial Code as “honesty in fact and the observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing.”#N#as “honesty in fact and the observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing.”

Is buying an instrument at a discount unreasonable?

Whether reasonable commercial standards were observed in the dealings is objectively tested, but buying an instrument at a discount—as was done in the tennis rackets example—is not commercially unreasonable, necessarily.

Can a clever forgery defeat the HDC?

So a clever forgery would not by itself defeat the HDC status, unless the holder had notice of it.

Is a person who has notice that an instrument is overdue an HDC?

The UCC provides generally that a person who has notice that an instrument is overdue cannot be an HDC. What constitutes notice? When an inspection of the instrument itself would show that it was due before the purchaser acquired it, notice is presumed. A transferee to whom a promissory note due April 23 is negotiated on April 24 has notice that it was overdue and consequently is not an HDC. Not all paper contains a due date for the entire amount, and demand paper has no due date at all. In Sections 3-302 (a) (2) and 3-304, the UCC sets out specific rules dictating what is overdue paper.

Can a purchaser with knowledge become an HDC?

It obviously would be unjust to permit a holder to enforce an instrument that he knew—when he acquired it—was defective, was subject to claims or defenses, or had been dishonored. A purchaser with knowledge cannot become an HDC. But proving knowledge is difficult, so the UCC at Section 3-302 (2) lists several types of notice that presumptively defeat any entitlement to status as HDC. Notice is not limited to receipt of an explicit statement; it includes an inference that a person should have made from the circumstances. The explicit things that give a person notice include those that follow.

What is shelter rule?

The shelter rule provides liquidity to a HDC who, after accepting an instrument, learns of a defense against its enforcement. The HDC could validly transfer the instrument to another holder who has notice of the underlying defense. The new holder would have the same rights as the HDC.

What happens if the HDC does not transfer the instrument?

If not, the transfer by the HDC to the new holder could be deemed fraudulent. This would destroy the shelter principle protections. Note: An exception to the shelter rule is that it does not apply if the holder in due course transfers the instrument back to a prior holder who was aware of its non-enforceable status and proceeded to transfer it ...

Is a transferee a holder in due course?

This is important in situations where the transferor is a holder in due course, but the transferee is not . Example: A HDC may gift the negotiable instrument to the transferee. In this case, the transferee did not provide value for the instrument and does not qualify as a holder in due course.

Who is Tommy in Due Course?

Tommy is a holder in due course of a promissory note . He learns that there is a dispute between the issuer and original holder regarding the underlying contract and one party has been discharged. He does not have the time and resources to seek payment of the instrument if it is contested. He sells the instrument to Olivia, who is confident that she can enforce the instrument. What are Olivias rights with regard to enforcing the instrument?

Does a new holder have the same rights as a HDC?

The new holder would have the same rights as the HDC. It is important to note that, if a holder in due course learns that there is a valid defense against enforcement or that the underlying obligation has been discharged, she must disclose that information to the transferee who provides value for the instrument.

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