侵害生命法益的民事損害賠償責任－－以德國法為中心

A Study on the Compensation for Damage of Wrongful Death – focused on German Law

侵害生命法益損害賠償請求權的建構，在法理論上有兩種方式，其一係承認死者亦能承受損害，並得主張自己的損害賠償請求權，再令其繼承人行使該權利。其二則否認死者有受損害的可能，但承認其親屬有自己獨立的損害賠償請求權。我國與德國民法皆採後者的立法方式。然而，在我國侵權行為法的體系下，侵害生命法益的損害賠償制度毋寧是一特例，蓋身為賠償權利人的被害人親屬本身並無直接的損害。由於被害人既已死亡，則民法所規定被害人親屬喪失扶養費的損害充其量只是法律所擬制的存在，其計算即充滿不確定性，至於精神上的損害實亦無不同。為使如此缺乏安定性的法規範之適用有所依循，本文主要目的在研究德國法的相關規定，蓋德國法上規範此問題的相關規定與我國法有極類似的基本架構，其學說與實務見解自有相當的參考價值也。

Regarding to wrongful death damages there are two theoretical methods to solve this problem: the first one is to recognize that the wronged party can have his own claim even after his death and this claim can be inherited. The other method is to deny the own claim of the dead, but his relatives can claim their own damages caused by the death of the wronged party. Both the Taiwanese law and the German law adopt the latter's legislative approach. However, in the system of tort law of Taiwan, the compensation for damage of wrongful death is rather an exceptional case because the relatives of the dead do not suffer any damage directly. Their claim provided in the civil code is only a legal fiction. As a result, the calculation of pecuniary loss is full of uncertainty, and so is non-pecuniary loss. Considering that the relevant provisions in Taiwanese law are similarly structured as in German law in this issue, this essay will research the related regulations in German law to provide reference for the legal doctrine and practice in Taiwan.