Time Is Not Money Under the Law
Law Professor Eric Goldman notes that a reader of James Frey's para-memoir "A Million Little Pieces" is suing the author for wasting her time. Sadly, based on the cases he cites, it seems that the courts are unwilling to compensate people for lost time. It's widely accepted that time is money, yet the theft of time appears to be a crime our legal system can't fathom.
While I will certainly defer to Goldman's legal expertise and accept the unlikelihood of any legal recognition that time is money, I believe there are circumstances where individuals can demand compensation for lost time, such as when doctors schedule an appointment and are subsequently unavilable.
I can't cite any case law here but it seems logical to conclude that an oral or written contract to meet at a specific time can be enforced. And if that's true, why not compensate for a time committment that arose from deception?
If imprisonment can be considered suffering, and false imprisonment can be compensated with damages, I have to assume that any financial reward pays, in part, for time taken from one's available lifespan. Given that, being victimized by false marketing should also merit damages based on stolen time.
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