an exclusion clause is a clause, often in a contract, which attempts to limit or exclude the liability of one of the parties to an agreement. They are mostly seen in public places, such as restaurants and places of entertainment, where there is an attempt to exclude liability for coats hung in a commonly used cloakroom, but they can also appear in documents where one party wants to prevent a particular set of circumstances from affecting the contract - for example a delivery company excluding liability for late delivery due to traffic problems.