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Commercial Law

Selected Works

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Articles 1 - 30 of 149

Full-Text Articles in Contracts

Is It Time For The Restatement Of Contracts, Fourth?, Peter A. Alces, Christopher Byrne Sep 2019

Is It Time For The Restatement Of Contracts, Fourth?, Peter A. Alces, Christopher Byrne

Christopher Byrne

No abstract provided.


They Can Do What!? Limitations On The Use Of Change-Of-Terms Clauses, Peter A. Alces, Michael M. Greenfield Sep 2019

They Can Do What!? Limitations On The Use Of Change-Of-Terms Clauses, Peter A. Alces, Michael M. Greenfield

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


Reinventing The Wheel, Marion W. Benfield Jr., Peter A. Alces Sep 2019

Reinventing The Wheel, Marion W. Benfield Jr., Peter A. Alces

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


Reconsidering Consideration In The Restatement (Third) Of Suretyship, Peter A. Alces Sep 2019

Reconsidering Consideration In The Restatement (Third) Of Suretyship, Peter A. Alces

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


Is It Time For The Restatement Of Contracts, Fourth?, Peter A. Alces, Christopher Byrne Sep 2019

Is It Time For The Restatement Of Contracts, Fourth?, Peter A. Alces, Christopher Byrne

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


On The Ucc Revision Process: A Reply To Dean Scott, Peter A. Alces, David Frisch Sep 2019

On The Ucc Revision Process: A Reply To Dean Scott, Peter A. Alces, David Frisch

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


Introduction To The Revision Of Article 2 Of The Uniform Commercial Code Symposium, Peter A. Alces Sep 2019

Introduction To The Revision Of Article 2 Of The Uniform Commercial Code Symposium, Peter A. Alces

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


A Critical Analysis Of The New Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Peter A. Alces, Luther M. Dorr Sep 2019

A Critical Analysis Of The New Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, Peter A. Alces, Luther M. Dorr

Peter A. Alces

No abstract provided.


The Unconscionability Game: Strategic Judging And The Development Of Federal Arbitration Law, Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl Sep 2019

The Unconscionability Game: Strategic Judging And The Development Of Federal Arbitration Law, Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl

Aaron-Andrew P. Bruhl

This Article uses recent developments in the enforcement of arbitration agreements to illustrate one way in which strategic dynamics can drive doctrinal change. In a fairly short period of time, arbitration has grown from a method of resolving disputes between sophisticated business entities into a phenomenon that pervades the contemporary economy. The United States Supreme Court has encouraged this transformation through expansive interpretations of the Federal Arbitration Act. But not all courts have embraced arbitration so fervently, and therefore case law in this area is marked by tension and conflict. The thesis of this Article is that we can better …


Mistake In Contract Law, Melvin A. Eisenberg Aug 2019

Mistake In Contract Law, Melvin A. Eisenberg

Melvin A. Eisenberg

Develops the legal rules that should govern mistake in contract law on a functional basis. Types of mistake that are relevant in contract law on the basis of their character; Reasons of efficiency and morality that apply to cases in which a non-mistaken party knew or had reason to know that a payment was mistakenly made; Distinction between mistaken factual assumptions and evaluative mistakes.


Too Clever By Half: Reflections On Perception, Legitimacy, And Choice Of Law Under Revised Article 1 Of The Uniform Commercial Code, Mark Edwin Burge Jun 2018

Too Clever By Half: Reflections On Perception, Legitimacy, And Choice Of Law Under Revised Article 1 Of The Uniform Commercial Code, Mark Edwin Burge

Mark Edwin Burge

The overwhelmingly successful 2001 rewrite of Article 1 of the Uniform Commercial Code was accompanied by an overwhelming failure: proposed section 1-301 on contractual choice of law. As originally sent to the states, section 1-301 would have allowed non-consumer parties to a contract to select a governing law that bore no relation to their transaction. Proponents justifiably contended that such autonomy was consistent with emerging international norms and with the nature of contracts creating voluntary private obligations. Despite such arguments, the original version of section 1-301 was resoundingly rejected, gaining zero adoptions by the states before its withdrawal in 2008. …


Consumer Preferences For Performances Defaults, Franklin G. Snyder, Ann M. Mirabito May 2018

Consumer Preferences For Performances Defaults, Franklin G. Snyder, Ann M. Mirabito

Franklin G. Snyder

Commercial law in the United States is designed to facilitate private transactions, and thus to enforce the presumed intent of the parties, who generally are free to negotiate the terms they choose. But these contracts inevitably have gaps, both because the parties cannot anticipate every situation that might arise from their relationship, and because negotiation is not costless. When courts are faced with these gaps in a litigation context, they supply default terms to fill them. These defaults usually are set to reflect what courts believe similar parties would have agreed to if they had addressed the issue. These "majoritarian" …


English Justice For An American Company?, Christopher French Dec 2017

English Justice For An American Company?, Christopher French

Christopher C. French

This Essay addresses the Halliburton Co. v. Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd. case, which is pending before England's Supreme Court. The issue before the Court is whether it is appropriate for the "neutral" arbitrator, who has a history of serving as a party-appointed arbitrator for Chubb, to serve as the "neutral" arbitrator in the matter while simultaneously serving as a party-appointed arbitrator for Chubb in another related arbitration proceeding involving the same insurance policy form and the same underlying Deepwater Horizon incident. The lower courts declined to remove the arbitrator. The Essay also addresses the question of whether London arbitration proceedings …


Insuring Against Cyber Risk: The Evolution Of An Industry (Introduction), Christopher French Dec 2017

Insuring Against Cyber Risk: The Evolution Of An Industry (Introduction), Christopher French

Christopher C. French

Cyber risks are the newest risks of the 21st century. The breadth and cost of cyber attacks are astonishing. Worldwide damages caused by cyber attack are predicted to reach $6 trillion by 2021. Between 2015 and 2017, ransomware damages alone increased from $325 million to approximately $5 billion. In 2017, WannaCry ransomware shut down over 300,000 computer systems across 150 countries.

On April 13, 2018, the Penn State Law Review held a symposium to discuss the evolution of cyber risks and cyber insurance. The symposium was comprised of an eclectic group of legal practitioners and scholars who presented four articles. …


Apple Pay, Bitcoin, And Consumers: The Abcs Of Future Public Payments Law, Mark Edwin Burge Jul 2016

Apple Pay, Bitcoin, And Consumers: The Abcs Of Future Public Payments Law, Mark Edwin Burge

Mark Edwin Burge

As technology rolls out ongoing and competing streams of payments innovation, exemplified by Apple Pay (mobile payments) and Bitcoin (cryptocurrency), the law governing these payments appears hopelessly behind the curve. The patchwork of state, federal, and private legal rules seems more worthy of condemnation than emulation. This Article argues, however, that the legal and market developments of the last several decades in payment systems provide compelling evidence of the most realistic and socially beneficial future for payments law. The paradigm of a comprehensive public law regulatory scheme for payment systems - exemplified by Articles 3 and 4 of the Uniform …


Sex, Videos, And Insurance: How Gawker Could Have Avoided Financial Responsibility For The $140 Million Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Verdict, Christopher French May 2016

Sex, Videos, And Insurance: How Gawker Could Have Avoided Financial Responsibility For The $140 Million Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Verdict, Christopher French

Christopher C. French

On March 18, 2016, and March 22, 2016, a jury awarded Terry Bollea (a.k.a Hulk Hogan) a total of $140 million in compensatory and punitive damages against Gawker Media for posting less than two minutes of a video of Hulk Hogan having sex with his best friend’s wife. The award was based upon a finding that Gawker intentionally had invaded Hulk Hogan’s privacy by posting the video online. The case has been receiving extensive media coverage because it is a tawdry tale involving a celebrity, betrayal, adultery, sex, and the First Amendment. The case likely will be remembered by most …


The Insurability Of Claims For Restitution, Christopher French May 2016

The Insurability Of Claims For Restitution, Christopher French

Christopher C. French

Does and should a wrongdoer’s liability insurance cover an aggrieved party’s claim for restitution (e.g., a claim for the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains)?  This article answers those questions.  It does so by first answering the question of whether claims for restitution are covered under the terms of liability insurance policies.  Then, after concluding that they are, it addresses the question of whether claims for restitution should be insurable as a matter of public policy and insurance law theory.  There are long-standing legal and equitable principles that, on the one hand, dictate that a wrongdoer should not be allowed to benefit …


The Insurability Of Claims For Restitution, Christopher French May 2016

The Insurability Of Claims For Restitution, Christopher French

Christopher C. French

Does and should a wrongdoer’s liability insurance cover an aggrieved party’s claim for restitution (e.g., a claim for the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains)?  This article answers those questions.  It does so by first answering the question of whether claims for restitution are covered under the terms of liability insurance policies.  Then, after concluding that they are, it addresses the question of whether claims for restitution should be insurable as a matter of public policy and insurance law theory.  There are long-standing legal and equitable principles that, on the one hand, dictate that a wrongdoer should not be allowed to benefit …


Emerging Payment Systems And The Primacy Of Private Law, Mark Edwin Burge Feb 2016

Emerging Payment Systems And The Primacy Of Private Law, Mark Edwin Burge

Mark Edwin Burge

No abstract provided.


El Nuevo Pacto Protestante: La Influencia De La Teología Protestante En El Derecho De Bienes Y Contratos, Brian M. Mccall Dec 2015

El Nuevo Pacto Protestante: La Influencia De La Teología Protestante En El Derecho De Bienes Y Contratos, Brian M. Mccall

Brian M McCall

Es imposible disociar la moral (o la ética) de la doctrina teológica. Como Richard Weaver explicó en el pasado siglo, las ideas tienen consecuencias.
Por lo tanto, un cambio de doctrina teológica irá inevitablemente acompañado por un cambio en las normas que gobiernan la conducta. Dado que la ley humana es relativa a los usos y costumbres de la comunidad para la cual se dicta y se desarrolla a la luz de aquéllos, tales cambios terminarán abriéndose paso en las leyes.
Después de quinientos años, las nuevas doctrinas del protestantismo han producido sus efectos sobre la moral y el derecho. …


Parol Evidence Under The Cisg: The "Homeward Trend" Reconsidered, 68 Ohio St. L.J. 133 (2007), Karen H. Cross May 2015

Parol Evidence Under The Cisg: The "Homeward Trend" Reconsidered, 68 Ohio St. L.J. 133 (2007), Karen H. Cross

Karen Halverson Cross

The CISG has been described as one of history 's most successful attempts to harmonize international commercial law. Consistent with its goal of harmonizing the law of international sales, Article 7(1) of the CISG instructs courts and arbitrators to interpret the Convention in light of "its international character and the need to promote uniformity in its application. " MCC-Marble v. Ceramica Nuova D'Agostina is a U.S. decision that has been praised for its adherence to Article 7(1). In contrast with conventional academic commentary, which praises MCC-Marble and criticizes the tendency of courts to interpret the CISG in light of their …


Insuring Floods: The Most Common And Devastating Natural Catastrophies In America, Christopher French Feb 2015

Insuring Floods: The Most Common And Devastating Natural Catastrophies In America, Christopher French

Christopher C. French

Flooding is the most common natural catastrophe Americans face, accounting for 90% of all damage caused by natural catastrophes. Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, for example, collectively caused over $160 billion in damage, but only approximately 10% of the Hurricane Katrina victims and 50% of the Hurricane Sandy victims had insurance to cover their flood losses. Consequently, both their homes and lives were left in ruins in the wake of the storms. Nationwide, only approximately 7% of homeowners have insurance that covers flood losses even though the risk of flooding is only increasing as coastal areas continue to be developed and …


Contribution Arguments In Commercial Law, Steven Walt, Emily Sherwin Feb 2015

Contribution Arguments In Commercial Law, Steven Walt, Emily Sherwin

Emily L Sherwin

No abstract provided.


The Harmonization Of Browsewrap Agreements Abroad And The Protection Of American Consumers, Tinsley A. Ashley Jan 2015

The Harmonization Of Browsewrap Agreements Abroad And The Protection Of American Consumers, Tinsley A. Ashley

Tinsley A Ashley

No abstract provided.


When Does Some Federal Interest Require A Different Result?: An Essay On The Use And Misuse Of Butner V. United States, Juliet Moringiello Dec 2014

When Does Some Federal Interest Require A Different Result?: An Essay On The Use And Misuse Of Butner V. United States, Juliet Moringiello

Juliet M Moringiello

Thousands of judges and scholars have relied on the statement in the 1979 Supreme Court opinion in Butner v. United States that “property interests are created and defined by state law...unless some federal interest requires a different result.” Often, they cite to the statement as a policy constraint that elevates state property law over federal bankruptcy law. This Essay, written for the American Bankruptcy Institute – University of Illinois Symposium on Chapter 11 Reform, posits that the Butner rule is not as broadly applicable as commonly believed. To do so, the Essay surveys some notable uses and misuses of the …


Dirty Debts Sold Dirt Cheap, Dalie Jimenez Dec 2014

Dirty Debts Sold Dirt Cheap, Dalie Jimenez

Dalie Jimenez

More than 77 million Americans have a debt in collections. Many of these debts will be sold to debt buyers for pennies, or fractions of pennies, on the dollar. This Article details the perilous path that debts travel as they move through the collection ecosystem. Using a unique dataset of 84 consumer debt purchase and sale agreement, it examines the manner in which debts are sold, oftentimes as simple data on a spreadsheet, devoid of any documentary evidence. It finds that in many contracts, sellers disclaim all warranties about the underlying debts sold or the information transferred. Sellers also sometimes …


Are "Legal" Marijuana Contracts "Illegal"?, Luke M. Scheuer Dec 2014

Are "Legal" Marijuana Contracts "Illegal"?, Luke M. Scheuer

Luke M Scheuer

America is currently in the midst of a “legal” marijuana business boom. In states which have legalized marijuana thousands of businesses have been created and are being openly operated despite the continued prohibition on their main product by the federal Controlled Substances Abuse Act. As a regular part of their business, these companies enter into contracts which violate the CSA, for example, every time they sell their main product. These businesses, and their stakeholders, rely upon the enforceability of these contracts in order to regulate their relationships. However, under the “illegality” or public policy defense to the enforcement of contracts …


Defectos Y Virtudes Del Proyecto De Reforma Del Código Civil. El Caso De La Representación En Los Negocios Jurídicos., Fort Ninamancco Córdova Dec 2014

Defectos Y Virtudes Del Proyecto De Reforma Del Código Civil. El Caso De La Representación En Los Negocios Jurídicos., Fort Ninamancco Córdova

Fort Ninamancco Cordova

No abstract provided.


Hollywood Deals: Soft Contracts For Hard Markets, Jonathan Barnett May 2014

Hollywood Deals: Soft Contracts For Hard Markets, Jonathan Barnett

Jonathan M Barnett

Hollywood film studios, talent and other deal participants regularly commit to, and undertake production of, high-stakes film projects on the basis of unsigned “deal memos”, informal communications or draft agreements whose legal enforceability is uncertain. These “soft contracts” constitute a hybrid instrument that addresses a challenging transactional environment where neither formal contract nor reputation effects adequately protect parties against the holdup risk and project risk inherent to a film project. Parties negotiate the degree of contractual formality, which correlates with legal enforceability, as a proxy for allocating these risks at a transaction-cost savings relative to a fully formalized and specified …


Liability For Work Done Where Contract Is Denied: Contractual And Restitutionary Approaches, Man Yip, Yihan Goh Mar 2014

Liability For Work Done Where Contract Is Denied: Contractual And Restitutionary Approaches, Man Yip, Yihan Goh

Man YIP

No abstract provided.