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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Hadley v. Baxendale rule
Read a random definition: Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions
A quick definition of Hadley v. Baxendale rule:
The Hadley v. Baxendale rule is a principle in contracts that says if someone breaks a contract, they are only responsible for damages that were foreseeable at the time of making the contract. This means that if the damage was not something that could have been predicted, the person who broke the contract is not responsible for it. The rule has two parts: the first part says that the person who broke the contract is responsible for damages that are a natural result of the breach, and the second part says that they are not responsible for damages that are not a natural result of the breach. This rule is important because it limits the amount of money someone can get if a contract is broken.A more thorough explanation:
The Hadley v. Baxendale rule is a principle in contract law that states that consequential damages can only be awarded for breach of contract if it was foreseeable at the time of contracting that this type of damage would result from the breach. This means that if a party breaches a contract, they are only responsible for damages that were foreseeable at the time the contract was made.
For example, if a company hires a delivery service to transport a machine to their factory, and the delivery service fails to deliver the machine on time, the company can only recover damages that were foreseeable at the time of contracting. If the company loses money because they were unable to use the machine, this would be a foreseeable consequence of the breach and they could recover damages for this loss. However, if the company loses a major contract because they were unable to use the machine, this may not be a foreseeable consequence of the breach and they may not be able to recover damages for this loss.
The Hadley v. Baxendale rule is important because it limits the amount of damages that can be recovered for breach of contract. It ensures that parties are only responsible for damages that they could have reasonably foreseen at the time of contracting.