The Flawed Nexus Between Contract Law And The Rules Of Procedure: Why Rules 8 And 9 Must Be Changed,
2012
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law
The Flawed Nexus Between Contract Law And The Rules Of Procedure: Why Rules 8 And 9 Must Be Changed, William V. Dorsaneo Iii, C. Paul Rogers Iii.
Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters
The primary purpose of this Article is to examine the relationship between basic contract principles and procedural rules that are generally applicable to contract litigation. The evolution of claims and defenses in contract cases has produced contradictions in burdens of pleading and proof in garden-variety contract cases,particularly with respect to the important issue of the plaintiffs performance. The continued evolution of substantive contract law and terminology, and the failure of the rule-making process to take these developments into account has exacerbated the problem. As a result, the federal pleading rules adopted in 1938 and many state procedural rules and statutes …
The Underappreciated Importance Of The Sequence In Which The Issues Are Addressed In Contract Litigation,
2012
Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law
The Underappreciated Importance Of The Sequence In Which The Issues Are Addressed In Contract Litigation, Gregory S. Crespi
Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters
Judicial opinions rarely identify the precise sequence in which the issues presented were addressed by the court. Since this sequence is not generally regarded as being significant for the decisions reached, persons later parsing the opinions for their significance rarely go to the considerable trouble involved in acquiring the litigation briefs and interviewing the attorneys and judges involved so as to ascertain this sequence. However, my surmise is that at least in contract litigation the sequence in which the issues are addressed can sometimes be significant or even outcome-determinative for the results. A good example of this is presented by …
The Ball Is In Congress's Court: Contract Support Costs Following Ramah,
2012
University of Oklahoma College of Law
The Ball Is In Congress's Court: Contract Support Costs Following Ramah, James J. Linhardt
American Indian Law Review
No abstract provided.
Powerful Buyers And Merger Enforcement,
2012
Seattle University School of Law
Powerful Buyers And Merger Enforcement, John B. Kirkwood
Faculty Articles
Although large buyers like Walmart and Tyson Foods occupy important positions in the American economy, antitrust law remains focused on the conduct of sellers. Moreover, when mergers of buyers have been challenged, the cases have been based on a single theory – that the merger would create a dominant buyer (or group of buyers) that would exploit small, powerless suppliers. Most powerful buyers, however, face suppliers with power of their own, and in such cases, the buyers exert “countervailing power,” which can also be anticompetitive. Yet buyer mergers that reduce competition through the exercise of countervailing power are not addressed …
To Be Or Not To Be (A Parent)? - Not Precisely The Question: The Frozen Embryo Dispute,
2012
Bar-Ilan University
To Be Or Not To Be (A Parent)? - Not Precisely The Question: The Frozen Embryo Dispute, Yehezkel Margalit
Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice
The article explores the legal and ethical complexities surrounding disputes over frozen embryos, particularly focusing on the balance between the right to become a parent and the right to avoid parenthood. It examines the legal status of frozen embryos and proposes a compromise solution where the objecting spouse is granted nonparenthood status, allowing the other partner to use the embryos without imposing parenthood on the unwilling party. The analysis emphasizes the importance of legal parenthood for societal welfare and the challenges posed by evolving reproductive technologies.
Advancing A Surrogate-Focused Model Of Gestational Surrogacy Contracts,
2012
University of Minnesota
Advancing A Surrogate-Focused Model Of Gestational Surrogacy Contracts, Catherine London
Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice
The article examines the ethical, legal, and feminist implications of commercial surrogacy, arguing that the practice raises significant concerns about the commodification and exploitation of women and children. It critiques the current legal framework for its inconsistency and paternalistic approach, which often restricts women's reproductive freedom. The analysis advocates for a surrogate-focused contract model to address these issues, emphasizing the need to empower surrogates by granting them greater autonomy and bargaining power in surrogacy arrangements. This approach aims to balance the interests of all parties while minimizing the risk of exploitation.
Using Contract Terms To Get Ahead Of Prospective Ediscovery Costs And Burdens In Commercial Litigation,
2012
University of Richmond
Using Contract Terms To Get Ahead Of Prospective Ediscovery Costs And Burdens In Commercial Litigation, Jay Brudz, Jonathan M. Redgrave
Richmond Journal of Law & Technology
During the course of the twentieth century, American and international businesses reacted to the increasing costs and uncertainties of the American civil legal system by trying to create certainty through contractual provisions wherever possible. In particular, businesses developed contractual provisions that set forth procedural boundaries to potential disputes for the purpose of providing greater certainty as to where the dispute would be heard, who would hear it, and what laws would apply. For example, choice of venue and choice of law provisions became commonplace. In addition, clauses dictating the use of alternative dispute resolution procedures were also widely adopted. Substantively, …
The Hierarchy That Wasn’T There: Elevating “Usage” To Its Rightful Position For Contracts Governed By The Cisg,
2012
Saint Louis University School of Law
The Hierarchy That Wasn’T There: Elevating “Usage” To Its Rightful Position For Contracts Governed By The Cisg, William P. Johnson
All Faculty Scholarship
Under domestic U.S. sales law, usage of trade is relevant in ascertaining the meaning of an agreement, and it can be used to supplement, qualify, or explain an agreement. However, usage of trade may not be used under domestic U.S. sales law to contradict a written agreement. Moreover, any course of performance or course of dealing between the parties will prevail over inconsistent usage of trade. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, or CISG, similarly provides for consideration of usage to establish the terms of the agreement between the parties, as well as to …
Credit Risk Transfer Governance: The Good, The Bad, And The Savvy,
2012
New York Law School
Credit Risk Transfer Governance: The Good, The Bad, And The Savvy, Houman B. Shadab
Articles & Chapters
Goldman Sachs and American International Group on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis were bound together through a web of credit risk transfer (CRT) contracts in the form of credit default swaps (CDSs) and synthetic collateralized debt obligations (CDOs). Synthetic CDOs enabled certain hedge funds to profit from the ultimate bursting of the housing bubble due to the funds’ savvy in understanding CRT better than their counterparties. This Article constructs a novel theory of CRT that extends the insights of creditor governance theory to CRT transactions. By doing so, this Article establishes a framework for good CRT governance. CRT …
Sharpening The Blunt Blue Pencil: Renewing The Reasons For Covenants Not To Compete In North Carolina,
2012
University of Oklahoma College of Law
Sharpening The Blunt Blue Pencil: Renewing The Reasons For Covenants Not To Compete In North Carolina, Jon J. Lee, Kimberly Burke
Faculty Articles
Covenants not to compete are often included in modern employment contracts to prevent employees from working for competitors for a specified amount of time after termination of employment. Although such covenants were initially unenforceable at common law because they represented invalid restraints on trade, most jurisdictions today enforce covenants not to compete where such covenants are reasonable. Jurisdictions differ, however, in their treatment of unreasonable covenants, choosing from one of three approaches: the all-or nothing approach, which prohibits a court from striking out or modifying any part of a covenant; the "strict blue pencil doctrine," which allows a court to …
Does The Constitution Protect Economic Liberty?,
2012
Georgetown University Law Center
Does The Constitution Protect Economic Liberty?, Randy E. Barnett
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
The author defends the proposition that the Court in Lochner v. New York was right to protect the liberty of contract under the Fourteenth Amendment. He does not defend its use of the Due Process Clause to reach its result. As he explains, the Court should have been applying the Privileges or Immunities Clause. Nor does he contend that the Court was correct in its conclusion that the maximum‐hours law under consideration was an unconstitutional restriction on the liberty of contract. Although the statute may well have been unconstitutional, the author does not take the time to evaluate that claim. …
It's About Time,
2012
University of Richmond
It's About Time, David Frisch
Law Faculty Publications
This Article critically evaluates the view widely held by courts that contract claims for lost leisure or personal time do not justify compensation. The thesis of this Article is that while the conventional judicial wisdom may be correct about some forms of nonpecuniary loss, it is entirely wrong regarding lost time. After setting aside assumptions, I show that traditional arguments against this form of recovery are deeply flawed Most importantly, I rely on the recognition of hedonic damages by forensic economists to debunk the myth that loss of time is no more than an everyday aspect of life not worthy …
"Do-Not-Track" As Contract,
2012
Vanderbilt University Law School
"Do-Not-Track" As Contract, Joshua A.T. Fairfield
Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law
Support for enforcement of a do-not-track option in browsers has been gathering steam. Such an option presents a simple method for consumers to protect their privacy. The problem is how to enforce this choice. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) could enforce a do-not-track option in a consumer browser under its section 5 powers. The FTC, however, currently appears to lack the political will to do so. Moreover, the FTC cannot follow the model of its successful do-not-call list since the majority of Internet service providers (ISPs) assign Internet addresses dynamically--telephone numbers do not change, whereas Internet protocol (IP) addresses may …
A Short And Happy Guide To Contracts,
2012
University of Richmond
A Short And Happy Guide To Contracts, David G. Epstein
Law Faculty Publications
In this book we will reveal the rules of contract law in as straightforward and clear a fashion as they permit. But we will also talk some about policy and the difference between the two. Policy reflects the normative objectives we want to attain, and the rules are the vehicles for getting us there. In this book, we are going to break the subject of contracts into seven short questions: 1. Has a deal been made? 2. Is the deal enforceable? 3. Are there defenses to enforcement of the deal? 4 What are the terms of the deal? 5. When …
The Evolution Of Contractual Terms In Sovereign Bonds,
2012
Duke Law School
The Evolution Of Contractual Terms In Sovereign Bonds, Stephen J. Choi, Mitu Gulati, Eric A. Posner
Faculty Scholarship
In reaction to defaults on sovereign debt contracts, issuers and creditors have strengthened the terms in sovereign debt contracts that enable creditors to enforce their debts judicially and that enable sovereigns to restructure their debts. These apparently contradictory approaches reflect attempts to solve an incomplete contracting problem in which debtors need to be forced to repay debts in good states of the world; debtors need to be granted partial relief from debt payments in bad states; debtors may attempt to exploit divisions among creditors in order to opportunistically reduce their debt burden; debtors may engage in excessively risky activities using …
In-House Counsel’S Role In The Structuring Of Mortgage-Backed Securities,
2012
Duke Law School
In-House Counsel’S Role In The Structuring Of Mortgage-Backed Securities, Steven L. Schwarcz, Shaun Barnes, Kathleen G. Cully
Faculty Scholarship
The authors introduce the financial crisis and the role played by mortgage-backed securities. Then describe the controversy at issue: whether, in order to own and enforce the mortgage loans backing those securities, a special-purpose vehicle “purchasing” mortgage loans must take physical delivery of the notes and security instruments in the precise manner specified by the sale agreement. Focusing on this controversy, the authors analyze (i) the extent, if any, that the controversy has merit; (ii) whether in-house counsel should have anticipated the controversy; and (iii) what, if anything, in-house counsel could have done to avert or, after it arose, to …
Overbilling And Informed Financial Consent — A Contractual Solution,
2012
Duke Law School
Overbilling And Informed Financial Consent — A Contractual Solution, Barak D. Richman, Mark A. Hall, Kevin A. Schulman
Faculty Scholarship
U.S. hospitals and physicians regularly charge uninsured patients and patients receiving care outside their health-plan networks far more what most health insurers pay and far more than their actual costs. Such practices have triggered over 100 lawsuits and prompted calls for pricing transparency in Congress and price regulation in several states. This Perspective argues that the theory of implied contracts, a foundation in most first-year courses in contract law, offers a useful legal and ethical mechanism for handling these troubling problems in health care billing.
Cds Zombies,
2012
Duke Law School
Cds Zombies, Anna Gelpern, Mitu Gulati
Faculty Scholarship
This paper examines the contract interpretation strategies adopted by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) for its credit derivatives contracts in the Greek sovereign debt crisis. The authors argue that the economic function of sovereign credit default swaps (CDS) after Greece is limited and uncertain, partly thanks to ISDA’s insistence on textualist interpretation. Contract theory explanations for textualist preferences emphasise either transactional efficiency or relational factors, which do not fit ISDA or the derivatives market. The authors pose an alternative explanation: the embrace of textualism in this case may be a means for ISDA to reconcile the competing political …
Balancing The Scales: Reforming Georgia's Common Law In Evaluating Restrictive Covenants Ancillary To Employment Contracts,
2012
University of Georgia School of Law
Balancing The Scales: Reforming Georgia's Common Law In Evaluating Restrictive Covenants Ancillary To Employment Contracts, Alan F. Pryor
Georgia Law Review
Crafting effective and enforceable restrictive covenants
ancillary to employment contracts has befuddled and
vexed attorneys, courts, and businesses in Georgia for
decades. Tracing its development through more than four
hundred years of judicial decisions, Georgia's common law
has grown increasingly contradictory, confusing, and
convoluted. Until the passage of the Restrictive Covenant
Act, Georgia judges grew increasingly hostile to restrictive
covenants; however, they failed to maintain a coherent set
of guidelines for evaluating such covenants. The
Restrictive Covenant Act marks a turning point in Georgia
employment law, and this Note provides a defense of the
Act.
The Restrictive Covenant Act is …
Must Licenses Be Contracts? Consent And Notice In Intellectual Property,
2012
Fordham University School of Law
Must Licenses Be Contracts? Consent And Notice In Intellectual Property, Mark R. Patterson
Faculty Scholarship
Intellectual property owners often seek to provide access to their patented or copyrighted works while at the same time imposing restrictions on that access. One example of this approach is “field-of-use” licensing in patent law, which permits licensees to use the patented invention but only in certain ways. Another is open-source licensing in copyright law, where copyright owners typically require licensees that incorporate open-source software in other products to license those other products on an open-source basis as well. Surprisingly, though, the legal requirements for granting restricted access are unclear. The source of the lack of clarity is the ill-defined …
