What are Expectation Damages?

Expectation damages are a measure of monetary compensation awarded in contract law when one party breaches a contract. They aim to put the non-breaching party (the one who didn't break the agreement) in the position they would have been in if the contract had been fulfilled. In simpler terms, it's about restoring their reasonable expectations from the deal.

Fundamental Principles Governing Expectation Damages

There are several fundamental principles behind expectation damages designed to ensure that damages are fairly assessed and aligned with the underlying objectives of contract law. These include: 

• Foreseeability: Damages awarded must have been reasonably predictable when the parties entered into the agreement. This means the breaching party could have anticipated the potential loss as a likely consequence of their actions, including not just the direct financial impact but also specific types of consequential losses, like lost business opportunities.
• Causation: A clear link between the breach and the claimed damages is crucial. The non-breaching party must demonstrate that their loss directly stemmed from the breach, not external factors or pre-existing conditions. Establishing causation can sometimes be challenging, and the burden of proof lies with the non-breaching party.
• Mitigation of Damages: The non-breaching party has a duty to take reasonable steps to minimize their losses. This doesn't mean incurring undue hardship or unreasonable expense but rather taking actions like seeking alternative solutions or limiting the extent of the damage. Failure to mitigate might reduce the recoverable damages.
• Certainty: Speculative or hypothetical losses are typically not recoverable. Damages must be supported by evidence and proven with a reasonable degree of certainty. However, the required level of certainty can vary depending on the type of loss. For instance, lost profits may have inherent uncertainty but can still be estimated based on documented evidence and industry standards.

Calculating Expectation Damages 

Fairly compensating the non-breaching party hinges on accurately calculating their expectation damages. For these purposes, in calculating the amounts that should be awarded to the non-breaching party, courts will assess both direct damages, which are the immediate and quantifiable cost difference between the promised performance and the actual outcome (often involving replacing the breached service or good), and consequential damages, which are the foreseeable, indirect financial losses arising from the breach, such as lost profits, business opportunities, or reputational harms.

Example: Greenwood Academy contracted with BrightMind Tutoring for $20,000 to provide specialized tutors for their summer program. However, BrightMind failed to fulfill its obligations, leaving Greenwood scrambling for replacements. They secured KnowledgePlus at a last-minute premium of $24,000.

Expectation Damages Calculation:

• Direct Losses: $4,000 ($24,000 - $20,000) in increased cost due to the breach
• Consequential Losses: $1,000 in lost profits due to program disruption and reduced enrollment caused by the last-minute switch to KnowledgePlus.
• Total Claim: $5,000 ($4,000 + $1,000) in expectation damages.

This case illustrates how expectation damages aim to put the non-breaching party (Greenwood) in the same position they would have been had the contract had been fulfilled.