Definition

Good faith (Ro.: bună-credinţă, De.: ~r gute Glaube/ ~e Gutgläubigkeit, Fr.: bonne foi, n.f., Gr.:καλή πίστη, Cz.: dobrá víra) (See also: implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, presumption, presumption of innocence) = a legal presumption according to which each person is presumed to act according to the rules, thus respecting the rights of the others parties. 

This concept is used mostly in civil law (for example in matters of possession or prescription), commercial law or family law. Given its nature as a presumption, the bad faith of a person must be proved by the one who invokes it. 

Adverse possession (Ro.: posesie de bună-credinţă, De.: ~e Schlechtgläubigkeit, Fr.: possession adversative, n.f., Gr.: χρησικτησία) = a way to acquire property by possession for a certain period of time and under certain circumstances determined by law

 

Useful links

Legislation

http://legeaz.net/noul-cod-civil/art-14-buna-credinta-interpretarea-si-efectele-legii-civile - Romanian Civil Code, Art. 14 [Romanian]

http://www.trans-lex.org/601100/#07 - French Civil Code, Section I, Art. 1134 [French, English]

http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/CCQ_1991/CCQ1991_A.html - Quebec Civil Code, Art.6 [English]

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2000/0024/latest/DLM58328.html - New Zealand Employment Relations Act 2000 [English]

Articles 281, 288 of the Greek Civil Code [Greek]

Case law

http://www.iccj.ro/cautare.php?id=64419 – Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice, Case no. 5360/1/2010

Organisations and associations

http://www.cba.org/cba/newsletters/pdf/04-08_addendum_obyrne.pdf - O’Byrne, Shannon Kathleen, 2007, The Implied Term of Good Faith and Fair Dealing: Recent Developments, The Canadian Bar Review (Canada)

Online Publications

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/droit/fileadmin/sites/droit/documents/RDUS/volume_26/26-2-rolland.pdf - Rolland, Louise, 1996, La bonne foi dans le Code Civil du Québec: du général au particulier

http://www.uab.ro/reviste_recunoscute/reviste_drept/annales_10_2007/noslacan_ro.pdf - Noşlăcan, 2007, Buna-credinţă şi teoria aparenţei în drept 

https://www.usherbrooke.ca/droit/fileadmin/sites/droit/documents/RDUS/volume_26/26-2-karim.pdf - Karim, Vincent, 1996, Preuve et présomption de bonne foi

http://www.cirano.qc.ca/pdf/publication/2011s-74.pdf - Mackaay, Ejan, 2011, Good Faith in Civil Law Systems - A Legal-Economic Analysis, Cirano 

http://www.legiscompare.fr/site-web/IMG/pdf/13._CH_5_Good_faith.pdf - Société de Legislation Comparée, Good faith

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MurUEJL/2004/22.html - Harper, Matthew, 2004, The Implied Duty of 'Good Faith' in Australian Contract Law, Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law

Publications

Zimmermann, Reinhard, Whittaker, Simon, 2000, Good Faith in European Contract Law, UK, Cambridge University Press

Forte, A. D. M., Forte, Angelo D. M., 1999, Good Faith in Contract and Property Law, Oxford, Hart Publishing

Brownsword, Roger, Hird, Norma J., Howells, Geraint G., 1999, Good Faith in Contract: Concept and Context, Ashgate/Dartmouth, European Business Law Library

O’Connor, J.F., 1991, Good faith in international law, Dartmouth, University of Michigan

Beatson, Jack, Friedmann, Daniel, 1997, Good Faith and Fault in Contract Law, Clarendon Press

 

By Raluca-Andreea Trîncă-Găvan