Under contract law, for a breach involving the sale of unique goods, which remedy is typically available?

• A. Specific performance
• B. Nominal damages
• C. Punitive damages
• D. Liquidated damages

Answer: (A)

When the subject matter is unique, the usual way to make the nonbreaching party whole is to require the breaching party to do exactly what the contract promised. In contracts for the sale of goods, if the goods are unique or there’s no close substitute, money damages may not adequately compensate, so a court can order specific performance to compel delivery of the exact item. That makes specific performance the typical remedy for a breach involving unique goods because it provides the precise goods the buyer bargained for, which money alone cannot replace. The other remedies are less appropriate here: nominal damages are just a token when there’s little or no actual loss, punitive damages aren’t awarded for contract breaches absent a tort, and liquidated damages are only enforceable if they’re a reasonable forecast of damages and not a penalty, not the standard remedy for delivering a unique item.