Calculation of damages in case of damage to or loss of a thing caused by criminal act
Keywords:
calculation of damages according to subjective criterion; pain and suffering in relation to loss of corporeal thing (pretium affectionis); vicarious liability; intentional criminal act as preliminary issue in civil proceedingsAbstract
Under Art. 189, para. 4 of Serbian Law on Obligations (LoO), if a thing is damaged or destroyed by an intentional criminal act, the court may calculate and award damages according to the value the thing had for the damaged party. Some issues regarding understanding and application of this rule remained unresolved both in the Serbian legal doctrine, and in the practice of Serbian courts. The first question is whether the aforesaid rule relates to (1) a special, subjective method of calculation of damages in case of patrimonial damage, more precisely damage to, or destruction of a corporeal thing, or to (2) pain and suffering due to damage to, or loss of a thing, which may only qualify as a type of moral, non-patrimonial damage. Secondly, there is no conclusive answer as to the question of applicability of Art. 189, para. 4 LoO in the event of vicarious liability. And thirdly, there is an open question of whether civil courts may decide on the existence of an intentional criminal act as a preliminary issue or not, and if they may, then under what conditions. Firstly, the author maintains that there are strong arguments to uphold the idea that Art. 189, para. 4 LoO lays down a special, subjective method of calculation of patrimonial damage, but doubts the need of keeping such rule in the context of principle of integral compensation, which is one of the fundamental principles of Serbian tort law. On the second matter, the author supports the idea that the aforesaid rule should also apply in the event of vicarious liability, that is against a person liable for the consequences of the wrongdoer's actions, irrespective of grounds of their civil liabilities. In the end, the author maintains that question of whether an intentional criminal act was performed by the wrongdoer or not, may be resolved before civil courts as a preliminary issue, except for the case where criminal court has already decided on the merits, i.e. handed down either a condemnatory, or a verdict of acquittal.
Downloads
References
Antić, O. /2008/: Obligaciono pravo, Pravni fakultet u Beogradu / Službeni glasnik, Beograd.
Coleman, J. L. /1992/: "A Mixed Conception of Corrective Justice," Iowa Law Review, 77.
Coleman, J. L. /1994/: "Tort Liability and the Limits of Corrective Justice," in: J. L. Coleman and A. Buchanan (eds.), In Harm’s Way, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Coutant-Lapalus, C. /2002/: Le principe de la réparation intégrale en droit privé, Institut de droit des affaires, Presses universitaires d’Aix-en-Provence, Aix-en-Provence.
Galland-Carval, S. /2001/: "France," in: U. Magnus (ed.), Unification of Tort Law: Damages, Principles of European Tort Law, vol. 5, Kluwer Law International, The Hague/London/Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-6264-4_4
Đorđević, Ž. S. /1987/: in: Đorđević, Ž. S., Stanković, V. S., Obligaciono pravo, Naučna knjiga, Beograd.
Đorđević, Ž. /1995/: "Naknada (čl. 185–198)," in: Perović, S. (ed.), Komentar Zakona o obligacionim odnosima, Savremena administracija, Beograd.
Jakšić, A. /2008/: Građansko procesno pravo, Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu / Službeni glasnik, Beograd.
Jourdain, P. /1990/: "Chroniques: Responsabilité civile," Revue trimestrielle de droit civil.
Karanikić Mirić, M. /2009/: "Pretpostavka krivice u građanskom pravu," Pravni život, br. 11.
Karanikić Mirić, M. /2009/: Krivica kao osnov deliktne odgovornosti u građanskom pravu, predgovor napisao Miodrag Orlić, Pravni fakultet Univerziteta u Beogradu, Beograd.
Klarić, P. D. /2003/: "Pravna osnova odgovornosti za štetu," in: Odštetno pravo, Narodne novine, Zagreb.
Konstantinović, M. /1969/: Obligaciono pravo. Beleške sa predavanja, Savez studenata Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu, Beograd.
Konstantinović, M. /1992/: "Osnov odgovornosti za prouzrokovanu štetu," Pravni život, br. 9–10.
Konstantinović, M. /1996/: Obligacije i ugovori. Skica za zakonik o obligacijama i ugovorima, Službeni list, Beograd.
Loza, B. /2000/: Obligaciono pravo, Službeni glasnik, Beograd.
Perović, S. /1995/: Predgovor. Zakon o obligacionim odnosima, Službeni list, Beograd.
Steininger, B. C. /2006/: "New Austrian Tort Law Draft," in: Koziol, H., Steininger, B. C. (eds.), Yearbook on European Tort and Insurance Law 2005, Springer, Vienna, New York.
Perović, S. /2004/: "Osnov ugovorne i deliktne odgovornosti," Pravni život, br. 3–4.
Poznić, B. /1991/: "Uticaj krivične presude na parnicu," Anali Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu, br. 1–3.
Poznić, B. /1999/: "Prethodno pitanje," in: Poznić, B., Rakić Vodinelić, V., Građansko procesno pravo, Savremena administracija, Beograd.
Poznić, B. /2009/: Komentar Zakona o parničnom postupku. Prema tekstu Zakona iz 1976. sa docnijim izmenama i dopunama, Službeni glasnik, Beograd.
Radišić, J. /1998/: "Razgraničenje imovinske i neimovinske štete," Anali Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu, 1–3.
Radišić, J. /2007/: Obligaciono pravo. Opšti deo, Nomos, Beograd.
Stanković, O. /1968/: Novčana naknada neimovinske štete, Savremena administracija, Beograd.
Starck, B. /1996/: Obligations – Responsabilité délictuelle, Cinquième édition par Henri Roland et Laurent Boyer, Litec, Paris.
Toroman, M. /1969/: "Odmeravanje naknade štete u građanskom pravu," Institut za uporedno pravo, Beograd.
Toroman, M. /1983/: "Naknada (čl. 185–209)," in: Blagojević, B. T., Krulj, V. (eds.), Komentar Zakona o obligacionim odnosima, Savremena administracija, Beograd.
Tunc, A. /1999/: La responsabilité civile, 2e éd., Economica, Paris.
Weinrib, E. J. /1987/: "Causation and Wrongdoing," Chicago-Kent Law Review, 63.
Werro, F. /2003/: Art. 41–61 CO, in: Werro, F., Thévenoz, L., Commentaire romand du Code des obligations I, Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2011 Marija Karanikić Mirić
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, allowing others to share the work with proper attribution to the authors and acknowledgment of its original publication in this journal.
