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American Contract Law for a Global Age, 2017a

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1978) (damage award “should be reduced, even to extinction, by the expenses that the<br />

breach” allowed the injured party to avoid).<br />

Judgment affirmed.<br />

_____________________<br />

Review Question 9. Doering and Mistletoe Express both involve situations in<br />

which one party has reasonably relied on per<strong>for</strong>mance from its counterparty. But the<br />

plaintiff in Mistletoe Express wins and the plaintiff in Doering loses. What, if any, is<br />

the factual difference between the two cases that leads to a different result?<br />

Review Question 10. As a contract litigator, in what kinds of situations would<br />

you be likely to pursue reliance (rather than expectancy or restitution) as your<br />

preferred measure of damages? Under what factual conditions would you expect<br />

parties to prefer to seek reliance damages?<br />

_____________________<br />

Problems<br />

Problem 24.1<br />

Titus, a wealthy oil magnate, is a huge fan of Gram Parsons, the influential<br />

musician who co-founded the Flying Burrito Brothers and who died at age 26 of a<br />

drug and alcohol overdose in 1973. He has an extensive collection of Parsons<br />

memorabilia and other materials related to the Los Angeles country-rock scene in the<br />

period 1965-75. Titus really wants the turquoise 1960 Ford Galaxie convertible that<br />

Parsons owned when he moved to Los Angeles in 1966, and which has marijuana<br />

decals and cigarette burns inflicted by Parsons. The car is now owned by a distant<br />

cousin of Parsons, Elmer. Titus and Elmer sign a contract in which Elmer will sell<br />

the car to Titus <strong>for</strong> $1 million. The car, which is currently loaned on display at the<br />

Country Music Museum in Del Ray, Florida, will be delivered in three months, on<br />

July 15. Titus puts $50,000 down on the car.<br />

Titus immediately begins renovations to his palatial Houston home, widening<br />

the living room and opening it into a gallery of his collection. Architects design a<br />

special lighted plat<strong>for</strong>m on which the car will be displayed; the car will effectively be<br />

the centerpiece of his home. The renovations necessary to accommodate the car are<br />

done at a total cost of $200,000.<br />

Three days be<strong>for</strong>e the car is due to be delivered, Elmer calls Titus and in<strong>for</strong>ms<br />

him that he has decided that the car is better off in a museum, and so he has sold the<br />

______________________________________________________________________________<br />

UNIT 24: RESTITUTION AND RELIANCE 517

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