ON THE ADVANTAGES OF LIMITING THE EFFECTS OF THE DIVIDE BETWEEN DUTIES TO ACHIEVE A SPECIFIC RESULT AND DUTIES OF BEST EFFORTS ON THE ROLE AND BURDEN OF PROVING THE DEBTOR’S FAULT

The distinction between duties to achieve a specific result and duties of best efforts has given place to important uncertainties in Chilean law, particularly regarding the role and burden of proving the debtor’s fault. In part, these uncertainties are a consequence of the difficulties in reconciling the idea of duties of best efforts with the limit that Chilean law imposes between obligation and liability for breach of contract. After reviewing the position of case law and legal scholarship in this regard, this paper suggests that the recognition of duties of best efforts in Chilean law does not require to accept its alleged consequences in the role and burden of proving the debtor’s fault.