Karen Tani kindly invited me to spend February as a guest
blogger. I’ll be writing about my latest
book, Intimate Lies and the Law (Oxford
University Press 2019). This post
provides a brief introduction to my overall argument before subsequent posts
delve into the legal history in the book.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Intimate
Lies and the Law examines
deception in dating, sex, marriage, and family life and explores the law’s
response to this duplicity.
I argue that the law has devoted too much energy to shielding intimate deceivers and placed too little importance on helping the
people they deceive. Deceived
intimates should have access to the same legal remedies they would have if they
were equivalently deceived outside of intimacy.
The legal system should also do more to counter the incentives to
deceive and should look for opportunities to thwart deceitful intimates from
carrying out their plans.
In short, entering an intimate relationship should not mean
losing legal protection from deceit.
I’m looking forward to blogging about the legal history in Intimate Lies and the Law. Intimate deception is a fascinating
topic—especially when it happens to someone else.
— Jill Hasday
