Margaret Jane Radin
Boilerplate: The Fine Print, Vanishing Rights, and the Rule of Law
Princeton University Press
We have all clicked on “I agree.” When we buy anything, from a TV to a home, we sign that printed contract without reading it. And we sign away our rights, possibly even very real potential claims. We require ourselves to bring suit in a venue far away, we waive jury trials, we relieve the seller from legal duties. Professor Radin, who teaches law at the University of Michigan, asks: “Is this fair?” Should courts enforce provisions that buyers never even knew about?
Why do we not read boilerplate? The author gives seven reasons.