Question

Sixteen-year-old Travis Mitchell brought his Pontiac GTO into M&M Precision Body and Paint for body work and a paint job. M&M did the work and charged $1,900, which Travis paid. When, Travis later complained about the quality of the work, M&M did some touching up, but Travis was still dissatisfied. He demanded his $1,900 back, but M&M refused to refund it since all of the work was "in" the car and Travis could not return it to the shop. The state of Nebraska, where this occurred, follows the majority rule on this issue. Does Travis get his money? Is this a fair result?

Answer 1

Since Travis is a minor, he is able to disaffirm a contract. Minors are not allowed to sign contracts except those that include basic necessities like food or shelter. This is not the case here since painting a car is not considered a basic necessity. As long as Travis disaffirms the contract while being a minor, the other party cannot do anything about it. This applies even if Travis cannot make any type of restitution since he cannot return the paint job.