《民法典》环境侵权惩罚性赔偿的司法适用

The Juridical Application of Environmental Tort Punitive Damages of the Civil Code

《民法典》第1232条规定的环境侵权惩罚性赔偿在司法实践中面临着适用诉讼类型不明和适用诉讼条件不清的问题。解决以上问题有必要回到惩罚性赔偿制度本身,探寻其形成的逻辑基础。通过对环境侵权惩罚性赔偿理论基础的分析和对《民法典》相关环境侵权责任条款的法教义学分析,结合我国生态环境损害的司法实践,可确定第1232条仅适用于环境私益诉讼。基于此,为使逻辑自洽,必须对第1232条作出“两限两扩”修正,即:适用环境侵权惩罚性赔偿的具体条件应包括环境侵权惩罚性赔偿的请求权主体限缩为特定的民事主体,排除国家机关和有关社会组织;在结果要件上仅限于严重的人身损害而不包括财产损失和生态环境损害;为更大程度上救济受害人,在主观要件上除故意外应增加重大过失;基于消极不作为侵权的违法性和主观恶性,在行为要件上应扩大到消极不作为侵权。

In juridical practice,the environmental tort punitive damages stipulated by Article 1232 of the Civil Code is faced with the problems of vague applicable litigation type and unclear applicable litigation condition.To solve those problems,it is necessary to return to the punitive damages system to explore the logic basis of its formation.Through the study of the theoretical basis of environmental infringement punitive damages,as well as the doctrinal analysis of the Civil Code’s relevant environmental tort liability clauses,in combination with the juridical practice of ecological environment damages in China,it can be certain that Article 1232 is only applicable to environmental private interest litigation.To make its logic self-consistent,Article 1232 must be amended as follows:the specific applicable conditions of environmental tort punitive damages should include restricting and reducing the subject of the right of claim for environmental tort punitive damages to a particular civil subject,excluding state organs and relevant social organizations;in terms of result,it should be restricted only to severe personal damage,excluding property damage and ecological environment damage;in terms of subjectivity,gross negligence should be added in addition to deliberation,in order to relieve the victim to a greater extent;in terms of behavior,passive negative act infringement should be included,based on the illegality and subjective culpability of the mind of passive negative act infringement.