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§ 28:1-309Title 28

Option to accelerate at will.

A term providing that one party or that party’s successor in interest may accelerate payment or performance or require collateral or additional collateral at will or when the party deems itself insecure, or words of similar import, means that the party has power to do so only if that party in good faith believes that the prospect of payment or performance is impaired. The burden of establishing lack of good faith is on the party against which the power has been exercised. Obviously this section has no application to demand instruments or obligations whose very nature permits call at any time with or without reason. This section applies only to an obligation of payment or performance which in the first instance is due at a future date. 1. The common use of acceleration clauses in many transactions governed by the Uniform Commercial Code, including sales of goods on credit, notes payable at a definite time, and secured transactions, raises an issue as to the effect to be given to a clause that seemingly grants the power to accelerate at the whim and caprice of one party. This section is intended to make clear that despite language that might be so construed and which further might be held to make the agreement void as against public policy or to make the contract illusory or too indefinite for enforcement, the option is to be exercised only in the good faith belief that the prospect of payment or performance is impaired. Changes from former law: Except for minor stylistic changes, this section is identical to former Section 1-208. Source: Former Section 1-208.

Annotations

Dec. 30, 1963, 77 Stat. 637, Pub. L. 88-243, § 1
Apr. 27, 2013, D.C. Law 19-299, § 2, 60 DCR 2634
1973 Ed., § 28:1-208.
1981 Ed., § 28:1-208.
2001 Ed., § 28:1-208.
Source XML

Sourced from the DC Council Open Law Library (public domain).

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