Publication Type

Case note/Digest

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

3-2016

Abstract

Rationalising the doctrine of anticipatory breach is notoriously difficult. This may explain the complete lack of attempt by the UK Supreme Court to address its conceptual difficulties in its recent judgment in Bunge SA v Nidera BV [2015] UKSC 43; [2015] 3 All E.R. 1082. It is therefore of interest that the Singapore Court of Appeal in The “STX Mumbai” [2015] SGCA 35; [2015] 5 S.L.R. 1 explained why the doctrine of anticipatory breach can be applied to executed contracts (in the sense of being fully executed by the innocent party). Whilst anticipatory breach applies similarly under English law, the English courts have never considered the underlying justification, save to say in a case with a partially executed contract that “it would be very strange and hardly unworkable” if the innocent party had to wait until the time for performance (Moschi v Lep Air Services Ltd. [1973] A.C. 331, 356, per Lord Simon).

Discipline

Commercial Law | Contracts

Research Areas

Corporate, Finance and Securities Law

Publication

Cambridge Law Journal

Volume

75

Issue

1

First Page

18

Last Page

21

ISSN

0008-1973

Identifier

10.1017/S0008197316000143

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008197316000143

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