Prospects for Applying the Concept of Moral Damages for Breach of Obligations Under A Construction Contract

Non-pecuniary protection in contractual relations remains insufficiently developed in the law of the Republic of Uzbekistan, particularly in relation to construction contracts. The Civil Code regulates compensation for moral harm within the framework of obligations arising from the causing of harm, whereas construction contracts are governed by the rules on contractual obligations; at the same time, the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights” expressly provides for compensation of moral harm caused by infringement of consumer rights. The article examines this relationship in Uzbek law and compares it with selected European, common-law and post-Soviet approaches. It argues that moral damages should be neither categorically excluded from construction disputes nor awarded automatically, and proposes a differentiated model based on the seriousness of the breach, the purpose of the contract, interference with a protected non-pecuniary interest, actual suffering, causation and fault.

Construction contract, moral damages, non-pecuniary loss

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