Effects of Hermeneutic Views on Legal Interpretation of Contracts

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 assistant prof in university of judical sciences & administrative services

2 professor of faculty of law، tarbiat modares، Tehran.

3 assistant professor

4 ph. D student in paiam noor university

10.22099/jls.2022.39101.4180

Abstract

In most legal systems,interpretation is performed with the aim of determining the common will and intention of the parties.Sometimes,the contract texts contain vague,insufficient,defective,or contradictory elements that make it difficult to reveal the common intention of the parties,and may even lead to interpretations in clear contrast with the parties’common intention.At times,the circumstances governing the execution of a contract change to a degree that it is not possible to see the contract as the true interpretation of the intention of the parties.Hermeneutic interpretation methods revolve around three elements:the text,the author,and the interpreter.Among hermeneutic interpretation approaches,the hermeneutic circle is in greater harmony with major theories in the modern contract law and the contract law in Iran.interpreter considers all the mental elements and presuppositions of the parties when the text is prepared,and recreates the contract using implied terms,and accepted customs of the parties.This interpretation method is more flexible than traditional methods,thus achieving greater harmony with justice and fairness criteria by putting contractual relations under the government of the criteria of the actual will.this research sought to examine the methods of interpretation common in hermeneutics,enumerate the strengths and weaknesses of each,delve into major theories in the modern contract law such as neoformalism and convention-based interpretations,and finally develop a balanced method free of extremism according to current circumstances and the principles of the modern contract law

Keywords

References

Bernstein, Lisa (1999) "The Questionable Empirical Basis of Article 2’s Incorporation Strategy: A Preliminary Study”, University of Chicago Law Review, Vol. 66, Issue. 3, pp 769-710.
Burrows, Andrews and Edwin Paed (eds) (2007) Contract Terms, Oxford Univercity Press.
Charny, David (1999) “The New Formalism in Contract”, University of Chicago Law Review, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp 270-842.
Corbin, Arthur Linton (1960) Corbin On Contract, Vol.3, 2nd edit, U.S.A. pp 271-286.
Cunningham. Lawrence A. (1995) “Hermeneutics and Contract Default Rules: An Essay on Lieber     and Corbin”, Cardozo Law Review, Vol. 16, No.330, pp. 761-783.
Fish. Stanley (1980) Is there a Text in this class? The Authority of Interpretive Communities, Florida University Publication, first publication,.
Gadamer, Hans-Georg (1995) Truth and Method, New York: Continuum, second edition.
Gilson,  Ronald J. et al. (2010)  “Braiding: The Interaction of Formal and Informal Contracting in      Theory, Practice, and Doctrine”,Columbia Law Review, Vol. 110, No. 6, pp 1377-1401.
Goldstein, Aaron D. (2013) The Public Meaning Rule: Reconciling Meaning, Intent, and Contract  Interpretation, Volume 53, Santa Clara, pp 63-76.
Hall, Goff R. (2012) Canadian Cotractual Interpretation Law,A new edition,Toronto, Ontario,publisher: LexisNexis Canada Inc.
Keren, Hila (2005) “Textual Harassment:A New Historical Reappraisalof the Parol Evidence   Rule with Gender in Mind”,Journal of Gender, Social policy & The Law,Vol. 13,Issue 2, pp 251-325.
Kraus, Jody S. & Scott, Robert E. (2009) Contract Design and the Structure of Contractual Intent, Columbia school Law, Rew 1023, pp 1023-1067.
Lesniewski, Jayce R. (2009) Contracts: The War Against Words: When Contract Interpretation           Impedes Judicial Goals - Lee v. Fresenius Medical Care,Inc, William Mitchell Law Review.Legasy archives, Vol 35, Iss.2, pp 627-646.
Lifshitz. Shahar and Finkelstein. Elad (2017) “A Hermeneutic Perspective on the Interpretation of Contracts”, American Business Law Journal, Vol. 54, Issue 3. pp. 526-558.
Neil, Andrews (2013)  Interpretation of Written Contracts in England, University of Cambridge, No.36, pp 1-15.
Nourse, Victoria F. (2014) “Elementary Statutory Interpretation: Rethinking Legislative Intent‌ a‌nd History”, Boston College Law Review, Vol, 55, pp. 1613-1644.
Posner, Eric A. (2000) A Theory of Contract Law Under Conditions of Radical Judicial Error,  University of Chicago Law School, John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper, No. 80 pp 749-790
Posner, Richard A. (2009) (Law and Literature), publisher:Harvard University Press, 3th ed.
Schwartz, Alan & Robert E. Scott (2010) “Contract Interpretation Redux”, Columbia Law School, scholarship Archive,Vol.119, pp926-964   
Scott, Robert E. (2004) “The Death of Contract Law”, University of Toronto Law Journal, Vol. 55, No. 4, pp. 369-375.
Zamir, Eyal (1997) The Inverter Hierarchy of Contract Interpretation and Supplementation, Columbia Law Review,Vol.97, No.6, pp 1710-1802.
 
 

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics