Buchanan v. Doe

While conflict of laws principles may be articulated clearly and without ambiguity, this case demonstrates that the application of those principles is neither simple nor direct. There is no disagreement that Virginia law is applied to determine whether the issue is one of tort or of contract, and which substantive law applies in either instance. The majority and the dissent cite case law to support their respective views, reaching mutually exclusive outcomes that each maintains is the only outcome possible. This result underscores the difficulty of resolving conflict of laws issues and I…