論責任保險對侵權行為法之影響

Abstract

本文之目的在於，在我國責任保險日益發達之際，為我國立法者與民事法院提供一套簡明且易操作的方法，以認識責任保險在侵權法中的功能，並適切的修正、解釋與適用侵權法，以使侵權法在我國能更充分的發揮其應有的功能，與扮演更積極的角色。 本文首先欲探討在近代侵權行為法的演變過程中，責任保險所扮演的角色與產生的影響，以及釐清在責任保險影響下之侵權法的真實面貌。侵權行為法至今已有數千年的歷史，在歷史的洪流中，侵權法經歷了許多演變，逐漸演化成今日的樣貌。而責任保險約自100年前出現後，即與侵權法有密不可分的關係，直接或間接的影響著侵權法的實際運作，因此探討責任保險對侵權法的實然影響，在責任保險日益發達的今日，對侵權法的清楚認識，誠有必要。 本文觀察了英國、美國，與我國的法令、實務運作、法院判決與學說。觀察層面包括，侵權法的應用範圍、侵權案件的和解實務、法院的態度、形式歸責原則、成立要件、免責權、損害賠償等。本文研究後發現，在英國與美國，責任保險對侵權法的影響相當明顯，整體而言，英美侵權法受責任保險的影響而逐漸趨向嚴格化。 具體現象包括，英美法院經常因被告有責任保險而放寬注意義務的認定、提高注意標準、或限縮免責權的適用。英美若干立法亦因責任保險而限制免責權。英美實務上，保險人通常並不適用正式的侵權法則判定責任歸屬，而是用簡易的便宜行事，這使受害人比上法院更容易取得賠償。英美侵權實務早年因責任保險的普及而使損害賠償數額不斷提高，後因保險系統不堪負荷而停止或受到限制。此外，責任保險應用的領域相當程度影響侵權法實際應用的範圍。 我國部分，本文研究後發現，責任保險促使我國危險責任的立法增加、法院在判斷免責事由時有時會考量責任保險，最明顯者是強制汽車責任險促使車禍案件的慰撫金提高。 本文其次欲分析在應然面上，考量責任保險的影響，今日或未來侵權法應如何解釋適用？本文參考相關學說理論，以侵權法的法理與目的為基礎，探討今日侵權法應如何看待責任保險的存在與影響，並提出一套新的方法解釋與適用侵權法。本文認為，侵權法應肩負三個目的：損害填補、損害預防、與保障行動自由。而應適用的法理則有：糾正正義與分配正義。 本文提出「糾正正義與分配正義法理交互論」，即當被告得有效且公平的分散責任時，適用分配正義的法理最能平衡滿足侵權法的三個目的，此時應以分配正義為侵權法的法理。而責任保險使本無分散能力的被告獲得分散能力，或使本有分散能力的被告，其分散能力得到強化，因此在被告有責任保險的案件，應傾向適用分配正義，即課與嚴格責任或使過失責任嚴格化。反之，若被告無責任保險，亦無其他有效分散責任的工具，則應適用糾正正義，即適用傳統的過失責任。因此，法院處理侵權案件時，應考量責任保險的存在，以決定應適用的法理，責任保險在侵權法中的作用是，使案件適用分配正義，以及被告被課與嚴格責任的機會更高。本文進一步主張，透過靈活運用交易安全義務，可以在我國現行法中實現上開理論。 最後本文以上開結論，就我國商品事故、動力車輛肇事責任、醫療事故三個領域為對象，檢討我國法的缺失，並提出建議。本文主張，應將不具足夠分散責任能力的商品製造人與服務提供者，排除於消保法第七條的適用範圍之外。動力車輛肇事責任，則應考量我國強制汽車責任險已相當發達，應修法課與嚴格責任。在醫療事故，本文建議應結合侵權責任與責任保險，將醫療損害有效分散予所有醫師與病患，並將醫療行為改採嚴格責任，以達成醫師與病患的雙贏局面。

This thesis aims at providing the lawmakers and the courts in Taiwan with a clear, specific and practicable method to recognize the function of liability insurance in tort law, and to revise, interpret and apply tort law, and whereby making tort law fulfill its purposes it shall have and play a more active role in a day in which liability insurance is becoming more and more prevalent. In the first place, this thesis analyzes what role liability insurance has played and what influence it had during the evolution of tort law, and clarifies what tort law has become under the impact of liability insurance. Tort law has had thousands of years of history; in its history it has experienced many changes to become what it is today. On the other hand, liability insurance has had a close relationship with tort law, and has impacted tort law directly or indirectly since it first appeared around 100 years ago. Therefore, in the present days, as liability insurance thrives, it is necessary to analyze the de facto impact of liability insurance on tort law for the comprehension of tort law. This thesis collects and studies legislations, practices, sentences of courts, and academic theories related to this topic from the UK, the US, and Taiwan. The aspects of study include the practical application of tort law, the practices of settlement in tort cases, the attitude of courts, the criterion of liability, the formation of liability, defenses and immunity, and damages compensation. After the enquiry, the study shows that in the UK and the US, liability insurance has apparent impact on tort law. Generally speaking, tort law of the UK and the US has become stricter through the impact of liability insurance. The significant phenomena are as follows: firstly, in many cases of the UK and the US, the courts broaden duty of care when the defendants have liability insurance. Secondly, insurers in the UK and the US usually prefer to decide who liable is by the simplified rules rather than the formal tort rules, which makes victims easier to receive compensation than to go to courts. Thirdly, in the early time of the UK and the US, the amounts of compensation kept increasing through the prevalence of liability insurance; however, the trend held or even declined due to the fact that the insurance system could not stand the high compensation. In terms of Taiwan, the thesis indicates that as a whole, the influence of liability insurance on tort law is not as significant as in the UK or the US. Nevertheless, the thesis identifies some strict liability legislations made in Taiwan with high relevance of the prevalence of liability insurance. Moreover, some courts in Taiwan take liability insurance into account while determining the defenses. The most manifest evidence supporting this feature from this thesis is that the Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance causes the increase of the amounts of non-pecuniary loss compensation. After analyzing the de facto impact, this thesis makes a further discussion on the de jure impact of liability insurance on tort law. With studying relevant theories and based on the purposes and the legal foundation of tort law, the thesis analyzes how tort law ought to treat liability insurance, and whereby proposes a novel methodology interpreting and applying tort law. The thesis is of the opinion that tort law has three main purposes, loss compensation, deterrence, and ensuring the freedom to act. Meanwhile, tort law has two essential legal foundations, corrective justice and distributive justice. The thesis proposes a theory called “interactive use between corrective justice and distributive justice”, which infers that the use of the two legal foundations can be convertible. According to this theory, when a defendant is able to distribute his/her liability effectively and fairly, distributive justice is the most capable of fulfilling and balancing tort law’s three purposes, and therefore shall be applied. Since liability insurance would render the capability distributing liability to a defendant who originally lacks the ability, distributive justice shall be applied when a defendant has liability insurance. That is to say, it implies that strict liability should be imposed on the defendant. In contrast, where a defendant has neither liability insurance, nor any other tool to distribute his/her liability, corrective justice shall be applied, which implies imposing the fault liability. Consequently, whenever courts try a case, it must consider if there is liability insurance to determine which legal foundation shall be applied. The function of liability insurance in tort law is to enhance the opportunity and justification of applying distributive justice and imposing strict liability on the defendant. This thesis further argues that by flexible manipulation of “duty of security of transaction (Verkenrspflicht), aforementioned theory is able to be brought into effect in the present tort law of Taiwan. In the final section, this thesis examines the defects of the law concerning products liability, drivers’ liability, and medical malpractice in Taiwan, and subsequently propounds some suggestions. The thesis contends that the product manufacturers and services providers who lack adequate ability to distribute tort liability shall be excluded from the range of Article 7 of the Consumer Protection Law of Taiwan. With respect to drivers’ liability, considering the prevalence and the well development of Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance, strict liability shall be imposed on drivers. In medical malpractice, the thesis advocates that tort liability should be combined with liability insurance, by which the loss of medical malpractice would be able to be distributed to all physicians and patients, and consequently the law should impose strict liability on medical malpractice in order to achieve win-win situation for both sides of physicians and patients.