β Scribed by Martin Hogg
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Promises and Contract Law is the first modern work to explore the significance of promise to contract law from a comparative legal perspective. Part I explores the component elements of promise, its role in Greek thought and Roman law, the importance of the moral duty to keep promises and the development of promissory ideas in medieval legal scholarship. Part II considers the modern contract law of a number of legal systems from a promissory perspective. The focus is on the law of England, Germany and three mixed legal systems (Scotland, South Africa and Louisiana), though other legal systems are also mentioned. Major topics subjected to a promissory analysis include formation of contract, third party rights, contractual remedies and the renunciation of contractual rights. Part III analyses the future role which promise might play in contract law, especially within a harmonised European contract law.
CONTENTS......Page 8
PREFACE......Page 14
ABBREVIATIONS OF COURT NAMES......Page 17
TABLE OF CASES......Page 19
TABLE OF LEGISLATION......Page 32
PART 1 Theoretical and historical introduction......Page 40
1 The concept of promise......Page 42
(a) A definition of promise......Page 43
(b) Promise: objectively existing phenomenon or human construction?......Page 47
(i) A promise is more than merely an internal mental process: promises as speech acts demonstrating commitment......Page 49
(ii) A promise is a commitment to a performance of the promisor......Page 60
(iv) A promise must relate to the future......Page 61
(v) A promise must state a commitment in favour of another party......Page 62
2. Three crucial qualities of relevance to promises: gratuitousness, conditionality, unilaterality......Page 64
(a) Gratuitousness......Page 65
(b) Conditionality......Page 69
(c) Unilaterality......Page 74
3. Acts having some similarity to, but which are distinct from, promises......Page 77
(a) Vows......Page 78
(b) Oaths......Page 80
(c) Threats......Page 84
(d) Donation (gift)......Page 85
(e) Warranties (guarantees)......Page 87
(f) Agreement......Page 89
4. Promise as a culturally universal and significant idea......Page 91
5. Preliminary conclusions......Page 95
1. Introduction: promise as a type of obligation......Page 97
2. Taxonomies of obligations in morality and law......Page 98
3. Promises as moral obligations: the practice of promising......Page 101
(a) Promising as moral, immoral, or amoral?......Page 103
(b) Source of the morality of the practice of promising......Page 106
(i) Promising as a virtuous act; the natural law tradition......Page 107
Scripture......Page 116
The canon law......Page 118
Objections to the morality of promising as having a natural law/virtue basis......Page 122
(ii) Promising as an act of the will: respect for personal autonomy......Page 125
(iii) The βcontract theoryβ of promising......Page 132
(iv) Consequentialism (utilitarianism)......Page 134
(v) Reliance theory......Page 137
A more limited role for reliance......Page 143
4. Powers and sanctions relevant to breach of morally binding promises......Page 145
3 The historical development of promissory ideas in the law......Page 148
(a) Formal contracts: the stipulatio......Page 149
(b) Informal contracts......Page 153
(c) Conclusion on Roman law......Page 154
(a) Continental legal thought......Page 155
(b) English law......Page 158
(i) Debt......Page 159
(ii) Covenant......Page 160
(iv) Assumpsit......Page 162
(v) The doctrine of consideration......Page 164
3. The Northern natural law school......Page 166
(a) Hugo Grotius......Page 167
(b) Samuel von Pufendorf......Page 169
(c) James Dalrymple (Viscount Stair)......Page 173
(a) English law......Page 181
(b) Scots law......Page 186
(i) German law......Page 190
(ii) Robert Pothier......Page 191
5. Contract theory and practice in the twentieth century......Page 196
6. A revitalised will theory......Page 205
PART 2 The modern law......Page 214
4 Formation of contract......Page 216
1. Wasted pre-contractual expenditure following termination of contract negotiations......Page 218
(a) A Common law solution to the problem of pre-contractual expenditure: promissory and proprietary estoppel......Page 219
(i) Promissory estoppel: promissory or reliance-based principle?......Page 221
(ii) Promissory estoppel and failed contractual negotiations......Page 224
(iii) Proprietary estoppel and failed contractual negotiations......Page 227
(iv) Conclusion on estoppel and pre-contractual expenditure......Page 228
(b) A civilian solution to wasted pre-contractual expenditure: culpa in contrahendo and bad faith termination of contractual negotiations......Page 229
(c) A mixed legal system solution to wasted pre-contractual expenditure: liability from an implied assurance that a valid contract exists......Page 236
(d) Other solutions to the problem of pre-contractual liability......Page 240
(e) Conclusion on pre-contractual liability......Page 242
2. Pre-contractual duties of disclosure......Page 243
(a) Offer and acceptance as conditional promise......Page 249
(b) The traditional offer and acceptance model as a unilateral dictation of terms......Page 251
(c) Distinguishing offer from conditional promise......Page 252
(d) Problem cases for a promissory analysis of offer and acceptance......Page 254
(e) Conceiving of offers as binding......Page 256
4. Enforcement of auction/tender conditions......Page 258
(a) Characterising the firm offer......Page 262
(b) Promises of reward......Page 267
6. Options......Page 269
7. Letters of intent and preliminary contracts......Page 274
(b) A preliminary contract, envisaging a further contract......Page 275
(c) An expectation of a formal contract......Page 276
(d) An expression of intention to do something other than contract......Page 277
8. Error in formation of contract......Page 278
(a) Choosing the policies which inform the rules on error......Page 279
(i) Roman Law......Page 281
(ii) The Common law......Page 283
(iii) The mixed legal systems......Page 287
(iv) German law......Page 290
(v) An ideal approach to promissory error?......Page 293
9. Extortion in the formation of contract......Page 296
(a) English law......Page 299
(b) The mixed legal systems......Page 300
(d) Conclusion on extortion......Page 304
10. Implied terms......Page 305
(a) The Common law......Page 313
(b) The mixed legal systems......Page 315
(c) German law......Page 317
(d) Model law......Page 318
12. Requirements of form: unwarranted restrictions on promising?......Page 319
1. The challenge to third party rights in contract......Page 323
2. The historical legal background......Page 331
(a) The Common law......Page 336
(b) The mixed legal systems......Page 340
(c) German law......Page 347
(d) Model law......Page 350
(e) Conclusion on third party rights under contract......Page 351
4. Assignment......Page 352
(b) The mixed legal systems......Page 355
(c) German law......Page 357
(d) Model law......Page 358
(a) English law......Page 359
(b) The mixed legal systems......Page 368
(c) German law......Page 369
6. Conclusion on third parties......Page 371
1. The βinterestsβ protected by remedies......Page 373
2. Mutuality of promises and withholding of performance......Page 376
(a) The Common law......Page 379
(b) Mixed legal systems......Page 380
(c) German law......Page 384
(d) Model law......Page 386
3. Specific performance......Page 387
(a) English law......Page 388
(b) Mixed legal systems......Page 391
(c) German law......Page 394
4. Perfect or substantial performance of contractual promises......Page 397
(a) Contracts for services......Page 398
(b) Sales of goods......Page 402
5. Injunction (interdict)......Page 404
6. Damages......Page 407
(a) Contractual damages and interests other than the performance interest......Page 411
(b) Damages for mere breach of contract, or for fault?......Page 415
(c) English law......Page 418
(d) Mixed legal systems......Page 421
(e) German law......Page 426
(f) Model law......Page 431
7. Liquidated damages: penalty clauses......Page 433
(a) English law......Page 434
(b) Mixed legal systems......Page 436
(c) German law......Page 440
8. Termination of contract for non-performance......Page 442
(b) English law......Page 444
(c) Mixed legal systems......Page 445
(d) German law......Page 449
(e) Model law......Page 451
(a) English law......Page 453
(b) Mixed legal systems......Page 455
(c) German law......Page 458
10. Good faith and contractual remedies......Page 460
1. Terminology......Page 467
2. Bilateral or unilateral renunciations......Page 468
3. Characterising undertakings not to enforce contractual rights......Page 470
(a) The Common law......Page 471
(b) Mixed legal systems......Page 473
(c) German law......Page 476
5. Forbearance, promissory estoppel and personal bar......Page 478
(i) Forbearance at common law......Page 479
(ii) Forbearance in equity: promissory estoppel in English law......Page 480
(iii) Promissory estoppel in American Common law......Page 482
(i) South Africa......Page 484
(ii) Louisiana......Page 485
(iii) Scotland......Page 486
(c) German law......Page 487
6. Model Law and renunciations of rights......Page 488
Part 3 The future......Page 490
1. The restricted role of promise in the modern law......Page 492
(a) General remarks......Page 494
(b) The Common law......Page 499
(c) The mixed legal systems......Page 501
(d) German law......Page 502
(e) The development of supranational model law......Page 503
3. Conclusion on the future of promise......Page 505
BIBILOGRAPHY......Page 507
INDEX......Page 521
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