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Search Results
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ILLEGAL UNDERINSURANCE AND CONTRA PROFERENTEM INTERPRETATION OF THE INSURANCE CONTRACT
This decision of the Corte de Apelaciones de Coyhaique is relevant from two points of view: on the one hand, it determines that the “replacement value” of the insured thing instead of its real value cannot be agreed as a parameter to determine a situation of underinsurance and the application of the Proportional Rule, as this would infringe the meaning of the mandatory rule of art. 553 of the Chilean Commercial Code. On the other hand, it constitutes an opportunity to appreciate a situation of incompatibility of clauses, a field of application of the rule of contractual interpretation contra proferentem. In both cases, the court considers the protection of the insured as paramount in determining the meaning of insurance law.
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INTERRUPTION OF THE LIMITATION PERIOD AND MAIN ASPECTS IN THE ITALIAN CIVIL CODE
After a systematization of the regime of limitation period in the Italian Civil Code, the paper carries out a brief parallelism between its suspension and interruption in order to subsequently focus on the study of the main doctrinal and jurisprudential questions that have characterized interruption. With particular interest, the moment from which the prescription is considered interrupted and the nature of the rights involved will be studied, as well as the specific case of the protection in case of lack of conformity in the contract of sale. It is emphasized that the study of the doctrinal formant and the jurisprudential formant is necessary for the correct understanding of the regulations and that at there can be a reciprocal interaction between doctrinal and jurisprudential formants also due to the shaping of access to the judicial system. The paper provides also some clues to resolve certain problems that arise in the Chilean legal system, with particular attention to the interruption of the limitation period.
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ABOUT THE SANCTION FOR UNFAIR TERMS IN CONSUMER LAW
This article examines the sanction applicable to unfair terms in Chilean consumer law, in light of a recent decision of the Supreme Court (Case No. 34713-2023), which classified as unfair an acceleration clause contained in a mortgage loan agreement. The judgment is of particular interest as it expressly resolves the doctrinal debate concerning the nature of the invalidity provided for in Article 16 of Law No. 19,496, holding that it amounts to absolute nullity. The article sets out the facts of the case, systematises the main doctrinal positions on the sanction for unfairness, and reviews the evolution of case law on the matter. Finally, the authors argue that the solution adopted by the Supreme Court is only partially correct, although it is commendable insofar as it is grounded in existing law: it recognises the public policy character of the control of unfair terms and allows for a coherent integration of the Consumer Protection Act with the general regime of nullity, without resorting to de lege ferenda constructions.
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THE NOTION OF NON-NEGOTIATED TERM AND ITS IMPORTANCE IN THE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF INCORPORATION AND FAIRNESS CONTROLS
The concept of a non-negotiated term is examined as a fundamental concept in the task of delimiting the objective scopes of application of incorporation and fairness controls. It is argued that the defining characteristics of a non-negotiated term are contractuality, pre-disposition and imposition. It is specified that, if generality is added to the aforementioned characteristics, the regarding non-negotiated term may also be qualified as a standard term. Within the framework of the treatment of the characteristics of non-negotiated terms, aspects in which national jurisprudence has been erratic and which have had an impact on the protection of the adherent are clarified. In particular, it is clarified that the predisposition alone is a sufficient indication to presume that there has been no possibility of negotiation; it is also clarified that the mere fact that certain data is filled in by the client or that the client can choose between different terms which one, specifically, will govern the contract, does not imply a transformation of the chosen term into one negotiated individually, much less does it imply the entire transformation of the contract into one freely discussed.
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RECOVERING OF CHECKS DRAWN TO PAY THE BALANCE OF A COMMERCIAL CURRENT ACCOUNT AND PROTESTED BECAUSE OF EXPIRATION
The paper analyzes the judgements on a case in which the concessionaire of a well-known car brand, with which had a current account contract, drew two checks for paying its balance that were subsequently protested because of expiration. The plaintiff claimed for a sum of money, but did not establish whether the cause of action was based on the checks or in the current account contract. This commentary highlights the effects of a current account contract in a business relationship and the difficulties posed by such an ambiguous claim.
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Related parties’ credits included in a mercantile current account and faithfulness of financial statements. Comment of the Supreme Court’s judgement of July 31, 2020, N. 29.982-2019
The paper analyzes a Supreme Court’s judgement which confirmed, with a reduction, the fines imposed on managers of a public corporation by the former SVS. The firm reported in the financial statements some long-term credits, which debtors where related companies. It did not take steps to collect them in a considerable period of time, on the grounds that they had been included into a mercantile current account with few movements. The supervisor reclassified the credits as long-term, and concluded that the financial statements contained false information. An analysis validates critically this judicial decision, and offers an alternative basis for it, built on the content of the commercial current account contract.