美国判决要约规则的解析与借鉴

An Exploration and Comparison of American Offer of Judgment Rule

在美国,《联邦民事诉讼规则》与大多数州都规定有判决要约规则。判决要约规则一方面维护诉讼公平的价值理念,在当事人拒绝要约而最终获得的审判结果并不比对方先前发出的要约更好且达到一定比例时应受到一定惩罚,从而避免一方当事人因另一方坚持诉讼而不公平地承担诉讼费用;另一方面它促使当事人合理谨慎地考虑对方当事人提出的和解要求,客观上充当了民事诉讼和解的重要手段和措施,在促使纠纷解决和防止诉讼拖延方面起到重要的作用。最后,结合现实情况对我国的诉讼和解与判决要约规则进行了比较,以资借鉴。

In the United States, FRCL and most of the states regulate offer of judgment rule. On one hand, offer of judgment rule holds on the value of litigating justice. When the judgment that the party who refuses the offer finally obtains is not more favorable than the unaccepted offer, he or she must receive certain punishment. On the other hand, offer of judgment rule makes the litigant consider reasonably the offer of the other party, and plays a good role in promoting the settlement of civil disputes and preventing the delay of litigation. Finally, we can learn from the rule of offer of judgment by comparing it with our litigation settlement.