Contract Glossary

Remedies

Definition

Remedies are what you can get when someone breaches a contract. Money (damages), a court order forcing them to do what they promised (specific performance), cancellation of the deal (rescission), or a court order stopping them from doing something harmful (injunction).

In Practice

Your landlord breaches the lease by refusing to fix a broken heater for 3 months in a Minnesota winter. Your remedies might include: damages (cost of space heaters and increased electricity, maybe $800), rent reduction for the period, rescission (ending the lease without penalty), or specific performance (court order forcing the repair). Which remedy fits depends on the severity of the breach and what your lease says. Some contracts limit your remedies to damages only, which means no court-ordered fixes, just money.