Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Fraudulent concealment is when someone hides an important fact from another person on purpose, with the intention of misleading them. This can happen in a contract, where one person doesn't tell the other person something they should know. To prove fraudulent concealment, the person who was misled must show that the fact was important, that the other person knew about it, that they meant to hide it, and that the person who was misled suffered because of it.
Under contract law, fraudulent concealment occurs when a defendant intentionally hides or withholds important information from a plaintiff in order to mislead them and cause them harm. To prove fraudulent concealment, the plaintiff must show:
For example, imagine a car salesman sells a used car to a customer without disclosing that the car was previously in a major accident. The customer later discovers the damage and sues the salesman for fraudulent concealment. The customer must prove that the salesman knew about the accident, intentionally hid this information, and that the customer suffered damages as a result of this deception.
Another example could be a landlord who rents out an apartment without disclosing that it has a history of mold problems. If the tenant later develops health issues due to the mold and sues the landlord for fraudulent concealment, the tenant must prove that the landlord knew about the mold, intentionally hid this information, and that the tenant suffered damages as a result of this deception.