Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Nonprivity: When two parties are not in a contract together, they are said to be in a state of nonprivity. This means that they do not have a direct legal relationship with each other. There are two types of nonprivity: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal nonprivity occurs when someone is affected by a product but did not buy it directly, such as a houseguest who gets sick from food bought at a deli. Vertical nonprivity occurs when someone buys a product from a middleman and later sues the manufacturer, such as buying a drill from a hardware store and suing the manufacturer.
Definition: Nonprivity refers to the state of not being in privity of contract with another party. It means that there is a lack of privity between two parties.
Examples:
The examples illustrate that nonprivity occurs when there is no direct contractual relationship between two parties. In horizontal nonprivity, the plaintiff is not a buyer but is still affected by the goods. In vertical nonprivity, the plaintiff is a buyer but did not buy directly from the defendant.