消费者协会提起惩罚性赔偿公益诉讼:理念与规范

Consumer Associations Filing Public Interest Litigation of Punitive Damages:Ideas and Regulations

法律和司法解释虽然没有赋予消费者协会提起惩罚性赔偿公益诉讼请求权,但是法律的生命在于实践,实践驱动着思考与回应。文章通过典型案例对实践进行思考,在论证消费者协会提起惩罚性赔偿公益诉讼具有合法性和理论价值的前提下,对实践中催生的新制度提出规范性建议,以助力该制度茁壮成长。消费者协会提起惩罚性赔偿公益诉讼有请求权基础的正当性和惩罚性赔偿金的公益性作为理论支撑,且具有保障诉讼双方主体平等、发挥辩论权的积极作用和提高社会治理效益的价值。因而法律应赋予消费者协会提起惩罚性赔偿公益诉讼的起诉权,扩张消费者协会起诉资格至地市级,明确惩罚性赔偿金的适用和归属。

Though consumer associations are not endowed with the formal right to initiate consumer public interest litigation of punitive damages,the life of law lies in practice which drives us to think deeply and response.This paper considers the practice through the typical cases on the premise of demonstrating the legitimacy basis and theoretical value of public interest litigation of punitive damages filed by consumer associations,and puts forward normative suggestions for the new system spawned in practice to help this system thrive.Consumer associations initiating punitive damages public interest litigation has the legitimacy of claim and the public interest of punitive damages as theoretical support,and has the value of guaranteeing the equality of the litigants,playing the active role of the debate right and improving the efficiency of social governance.Therefore,the law should endow consumer associations with the right to sue for punitive damages public interest,expand the qualifications of consumer associations to the municipal levels,and define the application and attribution of punitive damages.