A sum certain is a specified and set amount of money owed by one person to another. It is a legal
term of art
Jargon is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular communicative context and may not be well understood outside that context. The context is usually a particu ...
, having specialized meaning in the law. Some kinds of legal claims can not be brought at all unless the sum certain can be pleaded. A document claimed to be a
negotiable instrument
A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, whose payer is usually named on the document. More specifically, it is a document contemplated by or consisting of a ...
can not be negotiated unless it is for a sum certain.
References
External links
*{{cite web, url=http://law.onecle.com/new-york/uniform-commercial-code/UCC03-106_3-106.html, title=Section 3-106 - Sum Certain, date=15 August 2006, work=New York Uniform Commercial Code Law, accessdate=4 January 2010
Legal terminology
Debt
Negotiable instrument law