Unjustified enrichment is a large area of law concentrating especially on circumstances in which courts order a defendant to pay money or restore property to a plaintiff, not because the defendant has done something wrong by breaching a contract or committing a tort, but because he or she has simply been otherwise “enriched” at the plaintiff’s expense. The course will center on when and why such an award should (or should not) be made, issues that have been debated for centuries. The last session will consider whether a theory of unjustified enrichment can be used more broadly to justify reparations to the descendants of past victims such as Native Americans or slaves. Students are expected to write short weekly appreciations of the seminar materials, plus a final paper of about 3,500 words.
For details on class times, days of the week, instructors, and grading and exam details, please view the Michigan Law Class Schedule.