Problems with Wednesbury Unreasonableness in Contract Law: Lessons from Public Law
135 Law Quarterly Review, 2019, Forthcoming
University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law Research Paper No. 2018/010
32 Pages Posted: 18 Jan 2018 Last revised: 6 Mar 2018
There are 2 versions of this paper
Problems with Wednesbury Unreasonableness in Contract Law: Lessons from Public Law
Problems with Wednesbury Unreasonableness in Contract Law: Lessons from Public Law
Date Written: January 10, 2018
Abstract
This article identifies three key problems with the English courts’ current use of Wednesbury unreasonableness to control the exercise of discretion in contract law. First, there are misconceptions about the nature of Wednesbury review in contract law. Second, the intensity with which courts should apply Wednesbury unreasonableness is unclear. Finally, the contents of Wednesbury unreasonableness have been considered vague, leading to uncertainty in its application. This article proposes solutions to each of these problems by examining the jurisprudence and discourse on Wednesbury unreasonableness in public law.
Keywords: Wednesbury Unreasonableness, Braganza, Contract Law, Contractual Discretion, Administrative Discretion, Public Law, Intensity of Review, Deference
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