July 2005 (Revised August 2006)
Background Note
HBS Case Collection

Deception in Business: A Legal Perspective

By: Lynn S. Paine and Christopher Bruner

Format:Print
| Pages:7

Abstract

Discusses several of the most important prohibitions on deception found in U.S. law, starting with the basic elements of liability for fraud and moving to important antifraud provisions in federal statutes, restrictions on "misrepresentation" in consumer and contract law, deceptive nondisclosure, and forms of sales "puffery" that are not legally actionable.

Keywords

Crime and Corruption; Lawfulness

Citation

Paine, Lynn S., and Christopher Bruner. "Deception in Business: A Legal Perspective." Harvard Business School Background Note 306-019, July 2005. (Revised August 2006.)