PROBLEMS OF RELATION BETWEEN FAULT
AND CAUSATION IN TORT LAW
E.A. EVSTIGNEEV,
PhD in Law, Master of Jurisprudence (Russian School of Private Law),
Consultant of the Alexeev Private Law Research Centre under the President
of the Russian Federation
DOI: 10.24031/1992-2043-2020-20-1-33-59
The author analyzes the problem of relation between such grounds of liability as fault
and causation. Such relation is misjudged in Russian theory and therefore unexplored.
The theory focuses mainly on the problem of relation between two other grounds of
liability – wrongfulness and fault. Currently, courts intuitively and fragmentary refer
to some aspects of the influence of fault on causation, which demonstrates the practical
importance of theoretical research of the issue of relation between the various grounds
of liability. The article analyzes the two levels of relation between fault and causation –
material and procedural. At the procedural level the influence of fault on causation is
considered through analysis of sharing of burden and standard of proof. It is important
that Russian tort law provides for rebuttable presumption of fault. This presumption puts
special features (implying advantages and disadvantages) on the Russian tort model,
and radically influences on relation between fault and causation. Based on the research
findings, the author draws some conclusions as to the current importance of fault and
causation in establishing the grounds of liability and makes some proposals regarding
improvement of the Russian tort model by increasing the dependence of causation from
the potential tortfeasor’s fault.
Keywords: fault; causation; wrongfulness; presumption of fault; burden of proof;
standard of proof.
References
Агарков М.М. Избранные труды по гражданскому праву: в 2 т. Т. 2: Общее уче-
ние об обязательствах и его отдельных видах [Agarkov M.M. Selected Works on Civil
Law. In 2 vols. Vol. 2: General Doctrine of Obligations and its Individual Types] (in
Russian). Moscow: Statut, 2012.
Антимонов Б.С. Гражданская ответственность за вред, причиненный источ-
ником повышенной опасности [Antimonov B.S. Civil Liability for Harm Caused by
a Source of Increased Danger] (in Russian). Moscow: Iuridicheskaia literatura, 1952.
Антимонов Б.С. Значение вины потерпевшего при гражданском правонару-
шении [Antimonov B.S. The Value of the Guilt of the Victim in a Civil Offense] (in
Russian). Moscow: Gosiurizdat, 1950.
Гражданское уложение: Проект Высочайше учрежденной Редакционной
комиссии по составлению Гражданского уложения. Книга пятая: Обязатель-
ства. Т. 5. С объяснениями [Civil Code: Draft of the Highest Established Drafting
Commission on the Civil Code. Book Five: Obligations. Vol. 5. With Explanations]
(in Russian). St. Petersburg: Printing House of the Government Senate, 1899.
Гражданское право: учебник: в 4 т. / отв. ред. Е.А. Суханов [Civil Law: Textbook.
In 4 vols. / Ed. by E.A. Sukhanov] (in Russian). 2nd ed. Moscow: Statut, 2019.
Евстигнеев Э.А. Принцип генерального деликта: современное состояние
и перспективы применения [Evstigneev E.A. The Principle of General Tort: Current
State and Prospects of Application] (in Russian) // Civil Law Review. 2017. No. 5.
Егорова М.А., Крылов В.Г., Романов А.К. Деликтные обязательства и деликтная
ответственность в английском, немецком и французском праве: учебное посо-
бие / отв. ред. М.А. Егорова [Egorova M.A., Krylov V.G., Romanov A.K. Tort Obligations
and Tort Liability in English, German and French Law: Study Guide / Ed. by
M.A. Egorova] (in Russian). Moscow: Iustitsinform, 2017.
Иоффе О.С. Избранные труды по гражданскому праву: Из истории цивили-
стической мысли. Гражданское правоотношение. Критика теории «хозяйствен-
ного права» [Ioffe O.S. Selected Works on Civil Law: From the History of Civil Law
Thought. Civil Relationship. Criticism of the Theory of “Economic Law”] (in Russian).
2nd ed. Moscow: Statut, 2003.
Карапетов А.Г., Косарев А.С. Стандарты доказывания: аналитическое и эмпи-
рическое исследование [Karapetov A.G., Kosarev A.S. Standards of Evidence: Analytical
and Empirical Research] (in Russian) // Bulletin of Economic Justice of the
Russian Federation. 2019. Appendix to No. 5.
Кофман В.И. Соотношение вины и противоправности в гражданском праве
[Kofman V.I. Correlation of Guilt and Wrongfulness in Civil Law] (in Russian) //
Jurisprudence. 1957. No. 1.
Матвеев Г.К. Вина в советском гражданском праве / отв. ред. К.П. Николаев
[Matveev G.K. Mens Rea in Soviet Civil Law / Ed. by K.P. Nikolaev] (in Russian). Kiev:
Publishing House of Kiev University, 1955.
Модельные правила европейского частного права / пер. с англ.; науч. ред.
Н.Ю. Рассказова [Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law /
Trans. from English; ed. by N.Iu. Rasskazova] (in Russian). Moscow: Statut, 2013.
Монастырский Ю.Э. Противоправность как основание присуждения убыт-
ков [Monastyrskii Iu.E. Unlawfulness as the Basis for Award of Damages] (in Russian)
// Law. 2017. No. 11.
Смирнов В.Т., Собчак А.А. Общее учение о деликтных обязательствах в совет-
ском гражданском праве: учебное пособие [Smirnov V.T., Sobchak A.A. General Doctrine
of Tort Obligations in Soviet Civil Law: Textbook] (in Russian). St. Petersburg:
St. Petersburg State University, 1983.
Флейшиц Е.А. Избранные труды по гражданскому праву: в 2 т. Т. 2 [Fleishits E.A.
Selected Works on Civil Law. In 2 vols. Vol. 2] (in Russian). Moscow: Statut, 2015.
Цвайгерт К., Кётц Х. Сравнительное частное право: в 2 т. Т. 1: Основы. Т. 2:
Договор. Неосновательное обогащение. Деликт / Пер. с нем. [Zweigert K., Kötz H.
Comparative Private Law. In 2 vols. Vol. 1: Fundamentals. Vol. 2: Contract. Unjust
Enrichment. Tort / Trans. from German] (in Russian). Moscow: Mezhdunarodnye
otnosheniia, 2010.
Ягельницкий А.А. О тенденциях судебной практики по делам об убытках
[Iagelnitskii A.A. On the Trends of Judicial Practice in Cases of Losses] (in Russian) //
Law. 2019. No. 3.
Borghetti J.-S. The Culture of Tort Law in France // Journal of European Tort Law.
2012. Vol. 3(2).
Fuchs M., Pauker W. Delikts- und Schadensersatzrecht. 8. Aufl. Berlin: Springer,
2012.
Kötz H., Wagner G. Deliktsrecht. 12. Aufl. München: Vahlen, 2013.
Moréteau O. Basic Questions of Tort Law from a French Perspective // Basic Questions
of Tort Law from a Comparative Perspective / Ed. by H. Koziol. Wien: Sramek,
2015.
Pinzger E. in: Palandt Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch. 67. Aufl. München: C.H. Beck, 2008.
Principles, Definitions and Model Rules of European Private Law. Draft Common
Frame of Reference / Ed. by C. von Bar, E. Clive, H. Schulte-Nölke. Munich:
Sellier, 2009.
Schaub R. in: BGB Kommentar. 7. Aufl. Köln: Luchterhand, 2012.
Van Dam C. European Tort Law. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
Information about the author
Evstigneev E.A. (Moscow, Russia) – PhD in Law, Master of Jurisprudence (Russian
School of Private Law), Consultant of the Alexeev Private Law Research Centre
under the President of the Russian Federation (8, Bldg. 2 Ilyinka St., Moscow,
103132, Russia; e-mail: e_evstigneev@mail.ru).