Overview

Representing an unprecedented joint effort from top scholars in the field, this volume collects original contributions to examine the fundamental role of 'fault' in contract law. Is it immoral to breach a contract? Should a breaching party be punished more harshly for willful breach? Does it matter if the victim of breach engaged in contributory fault? Is there room for a calculus of fault within the 'efficient breach' framework? For generations, contract liability has been viewed as a no-fault regime, in sharp contrast to tort liability. Is this dichotomy real? Is it justified? How do the American and European traditions compare? In exploring these and related issues, the essays in this volume bring together a variety of outlooks, including economic, psychological, philosophical, and comparative approaches to law.

Full Product Details

Author:   Omri Ben-Shahar (University of Chicago) ,  Ariel Porat (Tel-Aviv University)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press (Virtual Publishing)
ISBN:  

9780511780097

ISBN 10:   0511780095
Publication Date:   10 November 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Undefined
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Part I. The Case for Strict Liability: 1. Let us never blame a contract breaker Richard A. Posner; 2. In (partial) defense of strict liability in contract Robert E. Scott; 3. The fault principle as the chameleon of contract law: a market function approach Stefan Grundmann; Part II. The Case for Fault: 4. How fault shapes contract law George M. Cohen; 5. Fault in contract law Eric A. Posner; 6. The role of fault in contract law: unconscionability, unexpected circumstances, interpretation, mistake, and nonperformance Melvin Aron Eisenberg; Part III. Between Strict Liability and Fault: 7. Fault at the contract-tort interface Roy Kreitner; 8. The many faces of fault in contract law: or how to do economics right, without really trying Richard A. Epstein; 9. The productive tension between official and unofficial stories of fault in contract law Martha M. Ertman; Part IV. Willful Breach: 10. When is a willful breach 'willful'? The link between definitions and damages Richard Craswell; 11. Willful breach: an efficient screen for efficient breach Peter Siegelman and Steve Thel; 12. An information theory of willful breach Oren Bar-Gill and Omri Ben-Shahar; 13. Contract law and the willfulness diversion Barry E. Adler; Part V. Comparative Fault: 14. A comparative fault defense in contract law Ariel Porat; 15. Stipulated damages, super-strict liability, and mitigation in contract law Saul Levmore; 16. Creditor's fault: in search of a comparative frame Fabrizio Caffagi; Part VI. The Morality of Breach: 17. Why breach of contract may not be immoral given the incompleteness of contracts Steven Shavell; 18. Fault and harm in breach of contract Dori Kimel; 19. Fault in contracts, a psychological approach Tess Wilkinson-Ryan.

Reviews

Author Information

Omri Ben-Shahar is the Frank and Bernice Greenberg Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. He has written extensively in the areas of contract law, products liability, and law and economics. Ben-Shahar is the editor of the Journal of Legal Studies and, recently, the book Boilerplate: Foundation of Market Contracts. Ariel Porat is Alain Poher Professor of Law at Tel-Aviv University Faculty of Law and its former Dean, as well as Fischel-Neil Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. Porat has written numerous articles in the areas of torts and contracts and is the author of the books Contributory Fault in the Law of Contracts and Tort Liability under Uncertainty (with Alex Stein).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions