CONTENTS
- 1. The Client Who Requested an Incheon Attorney Consultation

- 2. Incheon Attorney Consultation: Assistance for the Client's Recovery of Unjust Enrichment

- - Incheon Attorney Consultation: Argument That the Contract Was Void
- - Incheon Attorney Consultation: Rebutting the Arguments of the Defendant Cooperative
- 3. Result of the Incheon Attorney Consultation: The Unjust Enrichment Recovery Claim Was Granted in Full

1. The Client Who Requested an Incheon Attorney Consultation

The client who came to an Incheon attorney for consultation sought to claim restitution of unjust enrichment from a regional cooperative the client had joined.
The Incheon attorney conducted a thorough consultation with the client to understand the case.
The Circumstances of the Client's Case as Identified by the Incheon Attorney
The client, who resides in Incheon, entered into a cooperative membership agreement with a local cooperative and paid a down payment of approximately 70 million won.
In accordance with the agreement, the cooperative issued a letter of guarantee with the following content.
*We guarantee that, if the application for approval of the business plan is not filed within 2023, the amount already paid upon joining the cooperative will be refunded.*
Through this letter of guarantee, the cooperative confirmed the refund, stating that it would return the full amount paid in such a case.
The problem, however, was that this refund agreement constituted a disposal of the members' contributions, which are collectively owned property, yet it was made without going through the relevant general assembly resolution required for such a disposal.
2. Incheon Attorney Consultation: Assistance for the Client's Recovery of Unjust Enrichment
Through the consultation with the Incheon attorney, Daeryun assessed the case and set out to assist the client in the 🔗lawsuit for return of unjust enrichment.
Incheon Attorney Consultation: Argument That the Contract Was Void
The Incheon attorney argued that the refund agreement was invalid because, although it constituted an act of disposition of the members' contributions, which were collectively owned property, it had not gone through the general meeting resolution required for it.
Had there been no refund agreement, the client would not have entered into the cooperative membership contract.
Through the consultation with the Incheon attorney, the attorney argued that the cooperative membership contract in this case, which was entered into as a single whole with the refund agreement, was likewise invalid, and emphasized that the defendant must return the down payment and other members' contributions it had received as unjust enrichment.
Incheon Attorney Consultation: Rebutting the Arguments of the Defendant Cooperative
The Incheon attorney set out to rebut the arguments of the defendant cooperative.
The defendant argued, in essence, that the membership contract was valid because a resolution of ratification had been made at the inaugural general meeting in connection with the guarantee document in this case.
The Incheon attorney rebutted that, looking at the stenographic record of the inaugural general meeting that the defendant submitted as the basis for subsequent ratification, the agreement under the guarantee document in this case, which was the subject of ratification, was not specified at the meeting, and no sufficient explanation was given regarding the fact that the agreement under the guarantee document in this case was invalid and that ratifying the agreement would aggravate the shortfall in project costs, thereby increasing the contributions that members would have to bear.
Through the consultation with the Incheon attorney, the attorney emphasized that, in light of these circumstances, there were no grounds to find that the members had been aware of the above facts.
3. Result of the Incheon Attorney Consultation: The Unjust Enrichment Recovery Claim Was Granted in Full
As a result of the consultation with the Incheon attorney, the court ruled that "because the cooperative membership contract in this case is invalid, the defendant must return to the plaintiff, as unjust enrichment, the down payment and other members' contributions received under the cooperative membership contract in this case."
The court based its judgment on the fact that the refund agreement and the cooperative membership contract in this case were made simultaneously, and that the refund agreement concerned a principal matter of the cooperative membership contract.
In other words, the court stated in its reasons that whether the refund agreement was effective was an important consideration in entering into the cooperative membership contract, and that the refund agreement and the cooperative membership contract were, as a whole, in a relationship equivalent to a single contract.
If You Need an Attorney Consultation
Responding to a situation like that of the client who requested a consultation with the Incheon attorney requires legal expertise, including complex interpretation of legal principles, analysis of the contract, and review of precedents.
When facing such a complex legal issue, consulting an attorney with extensive relevant knowledge and litigation experience is recommended.
Daeryun Law Firm is available for consultation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
If you are seeking an attorney consultation for a situation such as the above, you are welcome to contact the Daeryun Law Firm 🔗Incheon attorney office at any time.

This content is based on actual case studies of Daeryun Law LLC with some adaptations, and the copyright belongs to our firm.
Unauthorized reproduction, duplication, or distribution and other copyright infringements may result in legal action under applicable laws.









