A Parable of the 1980s: Anadarko Petroleum Corp. v. Panhandle Eastern Corp.

Lawrence E. Mitchell, Case Western University School of Law

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to show, through analysis of Anadarko, how doctrinal formalism can mask the deterioration of social values. In fact, Anadarko itself reflects the substitution of new values into the legal framework, but without the healthy jurisprudential debate that results from exposing those values to scrutiny. So, without further ado, I will turn to the story of Anadarko.