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Case Citation
Legal Case Name

Vokes v. Arthur Murray, Inc. Case Brief

District Court of Appeal of Florida1968Docket #460564
212 So. 2d 906 28 A.L.R. 3d 1405 Contracts Torts

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
3 min read

tl;dr: A widow was induced to buy over $31,000 in dance lessons through false flattery about her nonexistent talent. The court allowed her to sue for rescission, finding the dance studio’s “opinions” could be actionable misrepresentations due to its superior knowledge.

Legal Significance: Establishes that statements of opinion can be treated as actionable misrepresentations of fact when a party with superior knowledge makes them to a party without equal opportunity to ascertain the truth, creating an exception to the general rule for “puffery.”

Vokes v. Arthur Murray, Inc. Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

Plaintiff Audrey Vokes, a 51-year-old widow, was induced by defendants Arthur Murray, Inc. and its franchisee, J.P. Davenport, to purchase fourteen separate dance course contracts over sixteen months, totaling 2,302 hours of lessons for a cost of $31,090.45. To procure these contracts, defendants employed a continuous barrage of flattery and false praise, representing to Vokes that she had “grace and poise,” was “rapidly improving,” and was developing into a “beautiful dancer.” These sales were often tied to achieving supposed milestones like “Bronze,” “Silver,” and “Gold” medals. Vokes alleged that these representations were knowingly false, as she, in fact, had no dance aptitude and had difficulty hearing the musical beat. The defendants allegedly knew the truth of her limited ability but withheld it to defraud her and induce the purchases. Vokes sued for rescission of the contracts. The trial court dismissed her complaint for failure to state a cause of action, reasoning the statements were mere opinion.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Can a party’s statements of opinion, rather than fact, provide a basis for contract rescission on the grounds of misrepresentation where the parties do not deal at arm’s length and one party has superior knowledge of the subject matter?

Yes. The court reversed the dismissal of the complaint, holding that Vokes Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Can a party’s statements of opinion, rather than fact, provide a basis for contract rescission on the grounds of misrepresentation where the parties do not deal at arm’s length and one party has superior knowledge of the subject matter?

Conclusion

This case is a leading authority in contract law for defining the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate v

Legal Rule

Although generally a misrepresentation must be one of fact rather than opinion Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat

Legal Analysis

The court began its analysis by acknowledging the general principle that actionable Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectet

Flash-to-Full Case Opinions

Flash Summary

  • A statement of opinion can be actionable as misrepresentation if the
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse ci

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