公司法如何面对家庭秩序——以一个家族公司的裁判为例

How does Corporate Law Face Family Orders?——A Case Review

主流公司法理论强调公司的经济属性,突出章程、正式治理以及程序规则在公司治理中的作用。但是,具有亲属关系的股东控制的家族公司具有明显的关系与伦理维度,存在不同于普通公司的治理机制与目标。家族公司的本质属性是关系嵌入性,亲属关系在家族公司中具有工具与目的双重价值。家族公司的关系治理延续了家庭成员间的互动模式,受到家庭成员间社会规范的约束。在典型的家族公司中,家族股东之间在权力与利益的分配上遵循利他主义、信任与互惠规范,这些规范抑制了契约式谈判,维系了家族股东的强人合性,降低了交易成本,但会产生事后背信的风险。在解释家族公司个案的事实与行为时,法官面临家族逻辑与公司逻辑之间的紧张对立,需特别分析案件发生的背景与当事人的身份关系。在处理家族股东之间的内部利益纠纷时,应该充分考量信任与互惠规范的法律价值,保护当事人的合理期待,以抑制事后的机会主义。基于索源公司案中家庭成员间的特殊期待与信任,直接适用公司法上的默认规则会破坏家庭成员的共识,应该适用诚实信用原则填补漏洞,以实现家族公司个案的正义,也体现公司法对信任等社会规范的尊重。

The mainstream corporate law theory emphasizes the company s economic attributes and highlights the role of charter, formal governance, and procedural rules in corporate governance. However, family companies controlled by relatives have an obvious relationship and ethical dimensions, and there are different governance mechanisms and objectives from ordinary companies. The essential attribute of a family company is relationship embedding, and kinship has dual values of tools and purposes in a family company. The relational governance of family companies continues the interaction model among family members and is subject to social norms among family members. In a typical family company, family shareholders follow the rules of altruism, trust, and reciprocity in the distribution of power and interests. These norms inhibit contractual negotiations, maintain the solidarity of family shareholders, and reduce transaction costs. However, there is a risk of breach of trust afterward. In explaining the facts and behaviors of family company cases, the judge faces the tension between family logic and company logic and needs to analyze the background of the case and the identity of the parties. In dealing with internal interest disputes among family shareholders, we should fully consider the legal value of trust and reciprocity norms, and protect the reasonable expectations of the parties to suppress ex-post opportunism. Based on the special expectation and trust among family members in the Suoyuan company case, the direct application of the default rules of the company law will undermine the understandings of family members. The principle of good faith should be applied to fill the loopholes in order to realize the justice of the family company case and respect for social norms such as trust.