Hadley v. Baxendale Case Brief Summary | Law Case Explained

Get more case briefs explained with Quimbee. Quimbee has over 16,300 case briefs (and counting) keyed to 223 casebooks ► https://www.quimbee.com/case-briefs-o...

Hadley v. Baxendale | 9 Exch. 341 (1854)

Hadley owned a corn mill in Gloucester, England. The mill used a steam engine manufactured by W. Joyce & Company, which we’ll call Joyce & Company for short, to grind corn into flour and cornmeal. One day, the engine’s crank shaft broke. To get the engine running again, Hadley needed to ship the broken shaft back to Joyce & Company, so an exact replica of the part could be made as a replacement.

Hadley contacted Pickford & Company, or Pickford, a common carrier owned by Baxendale. Hadley paid Pickford to ship the broken shaft to Joyce & Company as quickly as possible. Pickford promised to deliver the part by the next day. However, due to Pickford’s negligence, the delivery took much longer than promised. As a result, the mill remained closed for five additional days.

Hadley sued Baxendale for breach of contract and asked the court for damages, including his lost profits from the five days the mill was closed. At trial, Baxendale argued that the lost profits were unrelated to the shipping contract and shouldn’t be awarded. The jury sided with Hadley, and the lower court ordered Baxendale to pay for the mill’s lost profits.

Baxendale argued that the lower court judge’s instructions misdirected the jury, leading the jurors to reach an unjust conclusion. So Baxendale asked for a new trial. The Court of Exchequer Chamber agreed to review the case.

Want more details on this case? Get the rule of law, issues, holding and reasonings, and more case facts here: https://www.quimbee.com/cases/hadley-...

The Quimbee App features over 16,300 case briefs keyed to 223 casebooks. Try it free for 7 days! ► https://www.quimbee.com/case-briefs-o...

Have Questions about this Case? Submit your questions and get answers from a real attorney here: https://www.quimbee.com/cases/hadley-...

Did we just become best friends? Stay connected to Quimbee here: Subscribe to our YouTube Channel ► https://www.youtube.com/subscription_...
Quimbee Case Brief App ► https://www.quimbee.com/case-briefs-o...
Facebook ►   / quimbeedotcom  
Twitter ►   / quimbeedotcom  
#casebriefs #lawcases #casesummaries