. Introduction . Liability under

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1 Contents Table of Cases xix Abbreviations xlv Books cited only by names of their authors li Foreword to the Fourth Edition liii Foreword to the Third Edition lvii Foreword to the Second Edition lix Foreword to the First Edition lxi 1. Introduction 1 1. A bird s-eye view of the organisation of the German Courts in civil matters 1 2. Style, form, and content of argument in the judgments of the BGH 8 3. The delict provisions of the BGB Other relevant provisions of the BGB Reform proposals concerning some of the BGB provisions The BGB-reform in force as of 1 January Some preliminary observations on the BGB in general and the delict provisions in particular The constitutionalisation of private law The Human Rights provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany of 8 May 1949 (as subsequently amended) Amending the Code Bibliographical Survey Liability under 823 I BGB 43 SECTION A. COMMENTARY Introductory remarks The rights and interests protected by 823 I BGB 44 (a) Life 44 (b) Body and health 45 (c) Freedom 49 (d) Property 49 (i) Ownership 49 (ii) Possession 51 (iii) Economic loss 52 (e) Other rights (sonstige Rechte) 69 (i) Generally 69 (ii) Delictual protection of family relationships 70 (iii) The right of an established and operating business 71 (iv) The general right to one s personality Unlawfulness and Fault 79 (a) Unlawfulness 79 (b) Fault 83

2 xiv CONTENTS 4. The Duties of Care 85 (a) Generally 85 (b) Traffic safety on highways and places open to the public including dangerous premises 86 (c) Good Samaritans 90 (d) Problems related to the liability of manufacturers of defective goods 91 (i) Introduction 92 (ii) Damage to the product 93 (iii) Contractual or quasi-contractual solutions to the problem 94 (iv) The decision of 1968 and the move from contract to delict 97 (v) The various forms of product liability 99 (vi) The Product Liability Act Causation 103 (a) Conditions and causes 103 (b) Legal cause 106 (c) Some special problem areas 109 (i) Fault of the injured party 110 (ii) Rescue cases 110 (iii) Predispositions 111 (d)comparative conclusions 112 SECTION B. CASES Nervous Shock 115 (1) BGHZ 56, 163; (2) BGH NJW 1989, Notes to Cases 1 2. (3) RGZ 133, 270. Notes to Case 3 2. Pre-natal Injuries 144 (4) BGHZ 58, 48; (5) BGHZ 8, 243. Notes to Cases Wrongful Life and Wrongful Birth 156 (6) BGHZ 86, 240; (7) BVERFGE 88, 203; (8) BGHZ 124, 128; (9) BVERFGE 96, 375. Notes to Cases Unwanted Pregnancies 192 (10) BGHZ 129, 178. Notes to Case Economic Loss (cable cases) 203 (11) BGHZ 29, 65; (12) BGHZ 66, 388; (13) BGH NJW 1977, Notes to Cases Economic Loss (loss of use; other possible headings) 219 (14) BGHZ 55, 153; (15) BGH NJW 1977, 2264; (16) BGH NJW 1984, 2569; (17) BGH NJW 1981, 1779; (18) BGHZ 137, 89. Notes to Cases Economic Loss (negligent statements) 265 (19) BGH WM 1979, 548; (20) BGHZ 69, 82; (21) BGH NJW 1982, 2431; (22) BGH NJW 1984, 355; (23) BGHZ 127, 378; (24) BGHZ 138, 257; (25) BGH NJW 1985, 2411; (26) BGH VERSR 1972, 274. Notes to Cases Economic Loss (legal malpractice) 328 (27) BGH NJW 1977, Notes to Case Other Rights (family relationships) 356 (28) BGHZ 23, 215; (29) BGHZ 26, 217; (30) BGH JZ 1973, 668; (31) BGH NJW 1990, 706. Notes to Cases 28 31

3 CONTENTS 10. Established and Operating Business 372 (32) RGZ 58, 24; (33) RGZ 94, 248; (34) BGHZ 3, 270; (35) BGH NJW 1999, 279. Notes to Cases The Constitutionalisation of Private Law 392 (36) BVERFGE 7, 198; (37) BVERFGE 30, 173; (38) BVERFGE 34, 269. Notes to Cases Personality and Privacy Rights 412 (39) BGHZ 13, 334; (40) BGHZ 26, 349; (41) BGHZ 35, 363; (42) BVERFGE 35, 202; (43) OLG KÖLN NJW 1987, 2682; (44) OLG HAMBURG NJW-RR 1988, 737; (45) BGHZ 73, 120; (46) BGHZ 131, 332; (47) BVERFGE 101, 361; (48) BVERFGE 97, 391; (49) BGH NJW 1999, Notes to Cases Unlawfulness and Fault 505 (50) RGZ 119, 397; (51) BGH JZ 1968, 103; (52) BGHZ 90, 96; (53) BGHZ 29, 46; (54) BGH NJW 1996, 776; (55) BGHZ 144, 1; (56) BGH NJW 1975, Notes to Cases Duties of Care 540 (57) BGH JZ 1962, 570; (58) BGH NJW 1991, Notes to Case 58. (59) BGH NJW-RR 1990, 726; (60) BGH NJW 1991, Product Liability 555 (61) BGHZ 51, 91; (62) BGHZ 59, 172; (63) BGHZ 75, 75; (64) BGHZ 104, 323; (65) BGHZ 116, 104; (66) BGHZ 129, 353; (67) BGH NJW 2001, 964. Notes to Cases Damage Caused To the Product 596 (68) BGHZ 67, 359; (69) BGH NJW 1978, 1051; (70) BGH NJW 1978, 2241; (71) BGHZ 86, 256; (72) BGH NJW 1985, 2420; (73) BGH NJW 1992, 1678; (74) BGHZ 39, 358; (75) BGHZ 39, 366. Notes to Cases Causation 628 (76) RGZ 105, 264; (77) RGZ 133, 126; (78) RGZ 155, 37; (79) RGZ 169, 117; (80) BGHZ 3, 261; (81) BGHZ 132, 164; (82) BGH NJW 1952, 1010; (83) BGHZ 7, 198; (84) BGHZ 18, 286; (85) BGHZ 27, 137; (86) BGHZ 58, 162; (87) OLG STUTTGART NJW 1965, 112; (88) BGHZ 101, 215; (89) BGHZ 20, 137; (90) BGHZ 137, 142; (91) BGH NJW 1969, 789; (92) RGZ 83, 15; (93) BGHZ 34, 355; (94) BGH NJW 1991, Notes to Cases PLATE SECTION between 692 and 693 Map 1: Pre-codification map of Germany Map 2: Re-united Germany A Note on the Jurists that Follow German Jurists Friedrich Carl von Savigny Rudolph von Jhering Oüo von Gierke Hans Carl Nipperdey Werner Flume Ernst von Caemmerer Robert Fischer Bruno Heusinger Fritz Hauss Walter Stimpel xv

4 xvi CONTENTS 3. Liability for Others, Labour Law, and Stricter Forms of Liability 693 section A. COMMENTARY and 278 BGB 693 (a) General observations 693 (b) Master servant relationship 695 (c) The damage must have been inflicted by the servant in the exercise of the function assigned to him 696 (d) Unlawful damage 698 (e) The master s exculpatory proof 700 (f ) Methods developed in order to avoid the effect of 831 BGB The escape into contract: 278 BGB Liability regimes in labour law, miscellaneous matters Other instances of presumed fault or strict liability in the Civil Code Strict Liability 713 (a) General observations: the statutory method 714 (b) Some general characteristics shared by all or most of these enactments 717 (i) Similar or analogous clauses 717 (ii) Monetary maxima imposed on compensation paid under these statutes 718 (iii) The courts role in defining the precise ambit of the statutes 719 (iv) Is analogical extension of the statutory rules possible? 722 (v) A critical epilogue 723 (c) Four specific statutes on strict liability 724 (i) The Strict Liability Act (ii) Accidents at work and social security legislation in modern German law 725 (iii) The Road Traffic Act (iv) Environmental liability 738 (v) The products liability regime (including the Pharmaceutical Products Act) 748 SECTION B. CASES BGB 751 (95) BGH NJW 1976, 46; (96) BGHZ 49, 19; (97) BGH NJW 1971, 31; (98) BGHZ 12, 94; (99) BGH NJW 1956, 1106; (100) BGH NJW 1971, 1313; (101) BGH NJW 1965, 391; (102) BGH NJW 1957, 499; (103) BGHZ 5, 321; (104) BGHZ 45, 311; (105) BGH VERSR 1969, 518; (106) BGH VERSR 1966, 364; (107) BGHZ 4, 1; (108) BGH MDR 1957, 214; (109) BGHZ 24, 21; (110) BAGE 70, BGB (or 831 BGB) 788 (111) RGZ 78, 239; (112) BGHZ 66, 51; (113) BGHZ 2, 94; (114) OLG DÜSSELDORF NJW 1975, 596; (115) BGHZ 33, 247; (116) RGZ 127, 218; (117) RGZ 102, 232; (118) RGZ 87, 64; (119) RGZ 91, 21; (120) BGHZ 1, 383; (121) RGZ 112, 290. Notes to Cases ROAD TRAFFIC ACT OF 19 DECEMBER 1952 [BGB1. I 837] (as amended) 817 (122) BGHZ 29, 163; (123) BGHZ 19, 114; (124) BGH NJW 1975, 1886;

5 CONTENTS xvii (125) BGHZ 107, 359; (126) BGHZ 20, 259; (127) BGHZ 30, 203. Notes to the Road Traffic Act 4. Strict Liability Act (128) RGZ 78, 171. Notes to the Strict Liability Act 5. Environmental Liability Act Consumer Legislation and Defective Products 868 Council Directive of 25 July 1985; The German Product Liability Act of 15 December 1989; Notes 4. The Remaining Provisions of the German Civil Code and the Law of Damages 885 SECTION A. COMMENTARY Two more General Clauses 885 (a) 823 II BGB 885 (b) 826 BGB 888 (i) Misstatements 890 (ii) Obtaining a judicial decision by fraud, etc. 891 (iii) Inducing breach of contract and other trade disputes 891 (iv) Miscellaneous matters Other headings of tortious liability 892 (a) Some specific torts of the BGB 892 (b) Liability under 839 BGB 893 (c) The remaining provisions of the Code Compensation and Satisfaction 901 (a) Preliminary observations 901 (b) Personal injury (pecuniary losses): (c) Personal injury (non-pecuniary losses): (d) Ricochet damage in the context of fatal accidents: (e) Interference with honour and reputation 930 (f) Damage to property: SECTION B. CASES II BGB 943 (129) BGHZ 26, 42; (130) BGHZ 15, 315; (131) BGHZ 29, 100. Notes to Cases Liability of Statutory Bodies ( 839 BGB) 953 (132) BGH LM 839 [FG] BGB No. 5; (133) BGH NJW 1980, 2194; (134) BGH NJW 1996, 2373; (135) BGH NJW 1998, 751; (136) OLG OLDENBURG VERSR 1991, 306; (137) OLG HAMM NJW-RR 1994, 394; (138) OLG HAMM ZFJ 1997, 433; (139) OLG HAMM AZ 11 U 108/ Compensation and Satisfaction 981 (140) BGHZ 18, 149; (141) BGHZ 86, 212; (142) BGHZ 97, 14; (143) BGHZ 120, 1; (144) BGHZ 127, 186; (145) BGH NJW 1971, 698; (146) BVERFG NJW 2000, 2187; (147) BGH NJW 1986, 2037; (148) BGHZ 98, 212; (149) BGHZ 115, 364; (150) BGH NJW 1993, 3321; (151) BGHZ 132, 373 Index 1037