《民法典》违约精神损害赔偿条款的司法适用——基于《民法典》生效后202个案例的实证考察

The Judicatory Application of the Clause of Moral Damage Compensation for Breach of Contract in Civil Code:Empirical Study Based on 202 Cases after the Enforcement of Civil Code

《民法典》第996条系真正的违约精神损害赔偿条款,该条规定的精神损害赔偿属于违约责任,守约方可直接在违约之诉中主张精神损害赔偿,而无需再绕道侵权之诉。违约精神损害赔偿不以守约方的人格权遭受侵害为前提条件,也适用于其他可能导致合同当事人精神利益受损的情形。违约精神损害赔偿适用的合同类型应以可预见性规则作为判断标准,从“合同目的与当事人精神利益紧密相关”“合同标的物具有情感价值”“合同与人身安全密切相关”三个维度判断具体合同纠纷是否可以适用违约精神损害赔偿。

Article 996 of the Civil Code is a genuine clause on compensation for mental damages for breach of contract, which is a liability for breach of contract, and the non-breaching party may claim compensation for mental damages directly in the action for breach of contract, instead of bypassing the action for tort. The compensation for mental damages for breach of contract should not be based on the violation of the personality rights of the non-breaching party, but should be extended to other situations that may lead to damage to the mental interests of the parties to the contract. The type of contract to which compensation for mental damages for breach of contract apply should be judged by testing for predictability, and the court should judge whether the specific contract disputes could be applied to compensation for mental damages for breach of contract in three dimensions, namely, the close relation between the purpose of the contract and the mental interests of the parties, the emotional value embodied in the subject matter of the contract, and the close relation between the contract and personal safety.