论违反附随义务应优先适用侵权责任

The Priority of Application of Tort Liability in the Case of Breaching Nebenpflicht

合同履行中的附随义务是基于诚实信用原则而产生的,它是以辅助合同目的实现及保护当事人合法权益为目标的非约定义务。对于违反附随义务产生违约责任与侵权责任的竞合问题,应优先适用侵权责任赔偿制度。违反附随义务的行为是对法律规定的直接违反,而不涉及当事人的自由约定,因此,更加符合适用侵权责任的规范性要求。同时,适用违约责任对精神损害赔偿的限制以及对“哈德利规则”的遵守无法对违反附随义务导致的损失进行充分的救济。而适用侵权责任能够对违反附随义务的加害人进行适当的制裁,以防止惩罚性损害赔偿威慑过度的问题发生。虽然现行法律承认责任竞合时当事人享有选择权,但缺乏对违反附随义务优先适用侵权责任的具体规定,不利于损害的填补及责任的追究。立法机关应该以编纂民法典为契机,承认违反附随义务适用侵权责任的优先性,并增加相应的法律进行规范和救济。

The Nebenpflicht in contract is a non-contractual obligation based on the principle of good faith,which aims to assist the realization of the contract purpose and protect the legitimate rights and interests of the parties.As for the concurrence of the liability for breach of contract and the liability for infringement arising from the breach of the Nebenpflicht,the tort liability has a priority.The reason is that the violation of the Nebenpflicht is a direct violation of the law,which does not involve the free agreement of the parties,and is in line with the normative requirements for the application of tort liability.Because of restriction on compensation for mental distress and consideration of“The Hadley Rule”,the liability for breach of a contract cannot adequately remedy the loss caused by the breach of the Nebenpflicht.Moreover,the application of tort liability can properly sanction the offender who violates the Nebenpflicht and prevent the excessive punitive damages.Although the current law recognizes that the parties have the right to choose when the two kinds of liabilities concurrently occur,it lacks the specific provisions on the priority application of tort liability for breach of Nebenpflicht.It is negative to the compensation for damages and undertake the obligations.The legislative body should take the opportunity of compiling the Civil Code to recognize the priority of applying tort liability to the violation of the Nebenpflicht,and add corresponding laws to regulate and remedy.