The Law and Economics of Contract Interpretation
52 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2004
Date Written: November 2004
Abstract
Contract interpretation is an understudied topic in the economic analysis of contract law. This paper combines simple formal analysis of the tradeoffs involved in interpretation with applications to the principal doctrines of contract interpretation, including the four corners rule, mutual mistake, contra proferentum, and what I call the (informal but very important) rule of extrinsic nonevidence. Gap filling is distinguished, and the relativity of interpretive doctrine to the interpretive medium - jurors, arbitrators, and judges in different kinds of judicial system - is emphasized.
JEL Classification: K12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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