Megawidget Corporation wants to buy 1,000 widget parts from Douglas Dealer. Megawidget's president, Mega Buyer, sends an e-mail message to Douglas placing an order for the 1,000 widget parts at $10,000.
Douglas e-mails back and clicks on a button on his computer screen, which is an icon of a little hand shaking. Mega receives the e-mail and also clicks on the handshake icon on his computer. A week later, Mega finds out that he can buy the widget parts cheaper from Dealing Dan. Mega wants to rescind his contract with Douglas, and so claims that, under Article 2 of the UCC, his contract with Douglas had to be in writing to be valid; that is, the e-mail was not a written contract and the "handshake" via icon was meaningless. Discuss the outcome of this contract dispute using a critical thinking approach.
1. What is the legal issue in this case? Explain.
2. What language in what section of Article 2 of the UCC is relevant in deciding this case? Is the language ambiguous? Explain.
3. What information seems to be missing from this case exposition? Explain.
4. What argument would Douglas use in upholding his position? Explain.