The Interplay Between Claims of Good Faith and Fair Dealing and Breach of Contract
In this article, Lara Flath and Judy Flumenbaum discuss New York courts' treatment of the tension between a "good faith limitation on the exercise of a contract right" and "using the implied covenant of good faith to create new duties that negate explicit rights under a contract." They explore the degree to which courts have permitted good faith and fair dealing claims independent of breach of contract claims.
August 10, 2022 at 11:45 AM
6 minute read
To begin, under New York law, "all contracts imply a covenant of good faith and fair dealing in the course of performance." 511 W. 232nd Owners v. Jennifer Realty Co., 98 N.Y.2d 144, 153 (2002). The implied covenant "embraces a pledge that 'neither party shall do anything which will have the effect of destroying or injuring the right of the other party to receive the fruits of the contract.'" Id. (citation omitted). Further, when a "contract contemplates the exercise of discretion," the party with discretion is bound by the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing "not to act arbitrarily or irrationally in exercising that discretion." Dalton v. Educ. Testing Serv., 87 N.Y.2d 384, 389 (1995). When one party to a contract deceives the other party and delays or prevents the exercise of that party's contractual rights, that party breaches the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. See Richbell Info. Servs., 309 A.D.2d at 302 ("[O]ne has an apparently unlimited right under a contract, that right may not be exercised solely for personal gain in such a way as to deprive the other party of the fruits of the contract"); 25 Bay Terrace Assocs., L.P. v. Pub. Serv. Mut. Ins. Co., 144 A.D.3d 665, 667 (2d Dep't 2016) (upholding an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing claim alleging that defendant had prepared a "factually inaccurate" report).
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