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The Fiduciary Character Of Agency And The Interpretation Of Instructions, Deborah A. Demott
The Fiduciary Character Of Agency And The Interpretation Of Instructions, Deborah A. Demott
Faculty Scholarship
This chapter in a forthcoming book justifies the conventional characterization of common-law agency as a fiduciary relationship. An agent serves as the principal’s representative in dealings with third parties and facts about the world, situating the agent as an extension of the principal for legally-salient purposes. A principal’s power to furnish instructions to the agent is the fundamental mechanism through which the principal exercises control over the agent, a requisite for an agency relationship. The agent’s fiduciary duty to the principal provides a benchmark for the agent’s interpretation of those instructions. The chapter draws on philosophical literature on the identity …