Validity of contracts

15 U.S.C. § 80a–46

• Title: 15 — Commerce and Trade
• Chapter: 2D — INVESTMENT COMPANIES AND ADVISERS
• Subchapter: I
• Current through: Pub. L. 119-99

Text

(a) Waiver of compliance as void
Any condition, stipulation, or provision binding any person to waive compliance with any provision of this subchapter or with any rule, regulation, or order thereunder shall be void.
(b) Equitable results; rescission; severance
(1) A contract that is made, or whose performance involves, a violation of this subchapter, or of any rule, regulation, or order thereunder, is unenforceable by either party (or by a nonparty to the contract who acquired a right under the contract with knowledge of the facts by reason of which the making or performance violated or would violate any provision of this subchapter or of any rule, regulation, or order thereunder) unless a court finds that under the circumstances enforcement would produce a more equitable result than nonenforcement and would not be inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter.
(2) To the extent that a contract described in paragraph (1) has been performed, a court may not deny rescission at the instance of any party unless such court finds that under the circumstances the denial of rescission would produce a more equitable result than its grant and would not be inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter.
(3) This subsection shall not apply (A) to the lawful portion of a contract to the extent that it may be severed from the unlawful portion of the contract, or (B) to preclude recovery against any person for unjust enrichment.

History

(Aug. 22, 1940, ch. 686, title I, §47, 54 Stat. 845; Pub. L. 96–477, title I, §104, Oct. 21, 1980, 94 Stat. 2277.)

Editorial Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments
1980—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–477 provided that a contract whose terms violated this subchapter or any rule, regulation, or order thereunder would be unenforceable by either party or by a nonparty to the contract who acquired a right under such contract with knowledge of the facts by reason of which the making or performance of the contract would violate this subchapter, struck out provisions declaring such contracts void as regards the rights of the violators or nonparties to the contract with actual knowledge of its illegality, authorized the court to enforce such contracts where the court found that under the circumstances enforcement would produce a more equitable result than nonenforcement and such enforcement would not be inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter, authorized the same two-part test to save from rescission any portions of such contracts which had been performed, and provided that subsec. (b) was not to apply to a lawful portion of a contract to the extent it could be severed from an unlawful portion of such contract, or to preclude recovery against any person for unjust enrichment.