Contract Damages
June 20, 2009
Chinese contract law is far more flexible with respect to remedies than the common law since it is based on civil law. China makes no distinction between law and equity. As a result, in addition to money damages, Chinese law provides for specific performance, contract liquidated damages, deposit, loss of bargain damages and incidental damages. Most importantly, the use of one remedy does not exclude the application of another remedy. For example, if contract damages are not sufficient to compensate for a party’s actual damages, Article 114 of the Contract Law provides that the injured party can request that the court order payment of an amount sufficient to allow for complete relief. However, to prevent abuse, the reverse is also true. Contract Law Article 114 provides that where stipulated contract damages are “excessively higher than actual damages”, the defendant may request a reduction in the amount. Explanation 29 provides that an amount 130% higher than actual damages will generally be considered “excessively high.” However, the burden of proof in establishing the amount of actual damages is on the defendant. In the absence of clear proof, there is a strong tendency for Chinese courts to accept the stipulated contract damage amount.
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