Accessories in Private Law

Accessory liability is an often neglected but very important topic across all areas of private law. By providing a principled analytical framework for the law of accessories and identifying common themes and problems that arise in the law, this book provides much-needed clarity. It explains the fundamental concepts that are used to impose liability on accessories, particularly the conduct and mental elements of liability: 'involvement' in the primary wrong and (generally) knowledge. It also sets out in detail the specific rules and principles of liability as these operate in different areas of common law, equity and statute. A comparative study across common law and criminal law jurisdictions, including the United States, also sheds new light on what is and what is not accessory liability.

Part I. General Principles: 1. Introduction; 2. Identifying accessory liability in private law; 3. An analytical framework for accessory liability; 4. Criminal accessory liability; Part II. Accessory Liability in Private Law: 5. Torts; 6. Breach of contract; 7. Infringement of equitable property rights; 8. Breach of equitable duties; 9. Infringement of statutory intellectual property rights; 10. Other statutory wrongs; 11. Wrongs involving companies; Part III: 12. Conclusion.

Joachim Dietrich is a professor in the Faculty of Law, Bond University, Queensland, where his research and teaching interests range across the spectrum of private law.
Pauline Ridge is an associate professor at the Australian National University, where she is also Director of the Centre for Commercial Law. She researches and teaches in equity, restitution, contract, property law and the legal regulation of religion (particularly through charity law).