英美专家证人民事责任豁免变革与启示

The Reform and Enlightenment of the Immunity from Civil Liability of the Anglo-American Expert Witness

法庭科学的发展使鉴定意见在证据中的地位日益重要,但是我国对错误鉴定民事责任追究机制的缺失导致鉴定纠纷事件频发,严重影响了司法公信力与社会稳定。2011年英国最高法院通过琼斯案废除了专家证人的豁免权,认为专家证人对其错误或重大过失的鉴定行为应当承担相应的民事责任,这一判决引起了世界各国的广泛关注。我国鉴定人民事责任的正当性与可行性可从英美专家证人豁免权变革中找到一些启示,以此解决当前理论与实务界存在的问题。

With the development of forensic science,the appraisal opinion plays an increasingly important role in evidence. However,the absence of civil liability investigation mechanism for false appraisals in China leads to frequent appraisal disputes,which seriously affects judicial credibility and social stability.In 2011,the British Supreme Court abolished the immunity from civil liability of expert witnesses through the Jones case,holding that expert witnesses should bear corresponding civil liability for their mistakes or gross negligence. The abolishment caused wide attention of the world. The legitimacy and feasibility of civil liability of appraisers in China can be enlightened by the reform of immunity of Anglo-American expert witnesses,so as to solve the existing problems in the theory and practice of the judicial field.