Free US Law Dictionary

Statute of Frauds

The statute of frauds refers to the requirement that certain kinds of contracts be made in writing and signed.

Traditionally, the statute of frauds requires a writing signed by the defendant in the following circumstances:

• Contracts in consideration of marriage.
• Contracts which cannot be performed within one year.
• Contracts for the transfer of an interest in land.
• Contracts by the executor of a will to pay a debt of the estate with their own money.
• Contracts for the sale of goods above a certain value.
• Contracts in which one party becomes a surety (acts as guarantor) for another party's debt or other obligation.