《民法典》第1186条中“法律的规定”之理解和反思

Understanding and Reflection on "Provisions of the Law" in Article 1186 of the Civil Code

《民法典》第1186条对《侵权责任法》第24条作出重大修订,以“依照法律的规定”取代“可以根据实际情况”,力图解决公平责任一般条款的理解和适用问题。《民法典》的这一修订引发了新的争议和困惑,未能实现预期的立法目标。学者就第1186条所指向的“法律的规定”有不同的理解,法官对第1186条的适用也依旧混乱。囿于立法者的有限理性,以“法律的规定”严格限制公平责任一般条款的适用不符合复杂的现实需要,要求法官谨慎适用该条款的同时留下一定的自由裁量空间才能真正发挥公平责任一般条款的矫正功能。

Article 1186 of the Civil Code makes a major amendment to Article 24 of the Tort Liability Law,replacing "in accordance with the provisions of the law" with "may be based on the actual situation", to solve the problems of understanding and application of the general provisions of equitable liability. This amendment of the Civil Code has aroused new controversy and confusion and failed to achieve the expected legislative goal.Scholars have different understandings of the "provisions of law" in Article 1186, and judges are still confused about the application of Article 1186. Due to the limited rationality of the legislator, it does not meet the complicated practical needs to strictly restrict the application of the general provisions of fair liability by "legal provisions". It requires judges applying this clause cautiously and leaving certain discretionary space. This is the correct way to play the function of the general clause of fair liability.