Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation
The year 2016 was a milestone for the law-and-apology field, marking the thirtieth anniversary of the first general law aimed at enabling apologies for civil wrongs, introduced in Massachusetts in 1986, as well as the tenth anniversary of the Apology Act, enacted in British Columbia in 2006. The Ap...
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Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
2017-08-01
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The year 2016 was a milestone for the law-and-apology field, marking the thirtieth anniversary of the first general law aimed at enabling apologies for civil wrongs, introduced in Massachusetts in 1986, as well as the tenth anniversary of the Apology Act, enacted in British Columbia in 2006. The Apology Act seeks to promote apologies and apologetic discourse as an important form of out-of-court dispute resolution, chiefly by making apologetic statements inadmissible for proving liability in civil wrongs. It has served as a benchmark from which subsequent law reform efforts in Canada and abroad have been measured. In 2017, that benchmark was passed with the enactment in Hong Kong of the most ambitious apology law yet, which privileges not only statements of remorse, but also statements of facts embedded in apologies. This article summarises global apology legislation and court decisions to date. Part I considers each major jurisdiction, starting with the USA and concluding with Hong Kong. Part II draws some conclusions about where we have been and where we are going in our efforts to promote or protect apologetic discourse, including recommendations on interpreting existing laws and on drafting or redrafting apology legislation.
El año 2016 supuso un hito en el campo del derecho y las disculpas, marcando el trigésimo aniversario de la primera ley general destinada a permitir las disculpas para daños civiles, aprobada en Massachusetts en 1986, así como el décimo aniversario de la Ley de Disculpa, aprobada en la Columbia Británica en 2006. La Ley de Disculpa busca promover las disculpas y el discurso de arrepentimiento como una forma importante para resolver disputas fuera de los tribunales, principalmente haciendo que las afirmaciones de arrepentimiento no fueran admisibles para probar la responsabilidad por daños civiles. Ha servido como ejemplo con el que comparar siguientes intentos de reforma jurídica en Canadá y el extranjero. En 2017 dejó de ser ejemplo a raíz de la promulgación en Hong Kong de una ley de disculpa más ambiciosa todavía, que da un trato de favor no sólo a las afirmaciones de arrepentimiento, sino también a las afirmaciones de hechos integradas en las disculpas. Este artículo resume la legislación general sobre disculpas y las decisiones judiciales hasta la fecha. La parte I considera cada jurisdicción principal, empezando por Estados Unidos y acabando por Hong Kong. La parte II plantea unas conclusiones sobre de dónde venimos y hacia dónde vamos en nuestros esfuerzos para promover o proteger el discurso del arrepentimiento, incluyendo recomendaciones sobre la interpretación de leyes existentes y en la redacción o reforma de la legislación sobre perdón.
DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3028811
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| spelling | doaj-art-0f794a5259134c2599e6eefc92b8d0a72025-08-20T02:23:45ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712017-08-0173571Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology LegislationJohn Charles Kleefeld0University of Saskatchewan College of Law The year 2016 was a milestone for the law-and-apology field, marking the thirtieth anniversary of the first general law aimed at enabling apologies for civil wrongs, introduced in Massachusetts in 1986, as well as the tenth anniversary of the Apology Act, enacted in British Columbia in 2006. The Apology Act seeks to promote apologies and apologetic discourse as an important form of out-of-court dispute resolution, chiefly by making apologetic statements inadmissible for proving liability in civil wrongs. It has served as a benchmark from which subsequent law reform efforts in Canada and abroad have been measured. In 2017, that benchmark was passed with the enactment in Hong Kong of the most ambitious apology law yet, which privileges not only statements of remorse, but also statements of facts embedded in apologies. This article summarises global apology legislation and court decisions to date. Part I considers each major jurisdiction, starting with the USA and concluding with Hong Kong. Part II draws some conclusions about where we have been and where we are going in our efforts to promote or protect apologetic discourse, including recommendations on interpreting existing laws and on drafting or redrafting apology legislation. El año 2016 supuso un hito en el campo del derecho y las disculpas, marcando el trigésimo aniversario de la primera ley general destinada a permitir las disculpas para daños civiles, aprobada en Massachusetts en 1986, así como el décimo aniversario de la Ley de Disculpa, aprobada en la Columbia Británica en 2006. La Ley de Disculpa busca promover las disculpas y el discurso de arrepentimiento como una forma importante para resolver disputas fuera de los tribunales, principalmente haciendo que las afirmaciones de arrepentimiento no fueran admisibles para probar la responsabilidad por daños civiles. Ha servido como ejemplo con el que comparar siguientes intentos de reforma jurídica en Canadá y el extranjero. En 2017 dejó de ser ejemplo a raíz de la promulgación en Hong Kong de una ley de disculpa más ambiciosa todavía, que da un trato de favor no sólo a las afirmaciones de arrepentimiento, sino también a las afirmaciones de hechos integradas en las disculpas. Este artículo resume la legislación general sobre disculpas y las decisiones judiciales hasta la fecha. La parte I considera cada jurisdicción principal, empezando por Estados Unidos y acabando por Hong Kong. La parte II plantea unas conclusiones sobre de dónde venimos y hacia dónde vamos en nuestros esfuerzos para promover o proteger el discurso del arrepentimiento, incluyendo recomendaciones sobre la interpretación de leyes existentes y en la redacción o reforma de la legislación sobre perdón. DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3028811 https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/799 |
| spellingShingle | John Charles Kleefeld Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| title | Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation |
| title_full | Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation |
| title_fullStr | Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation |
| title_short | Promoting and Protecting Apologetic Discourse through Law: A Global Survey and Critique of Apology Legislation |
| title_sort | promoting and protecting apologetic discourse through law a global survey and critique of apology legislation |
| url | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/799 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johncharleskleefeld promotingandprotectingapologeticdiscoursethroughlawaglobalsurveyandcritiqueofapologylegislation |