On Stipulation Of Exemption Of Personal Injury

As an important legal means of safeguarding existence and dignity of natural person, personal right occupies the most important place in civil rights system. Any property right shall not be prior to personal right. The law forbids any person to willfully violate others', or even his or her own personal right. As one of civil subjects, natural person is the starting point and ending place of legal values. As a kind of civil liabilities, personal injury compensation is an important means of protecting personal right of natural person, with recovery, preventive and punitive function and means of protection of other civil liabilities cannot replace its function. However, in complicated real life, stipulation of exemption of personal injury occurs frequently. The realization of the aim of protection values of freedom of contract and personal right depends on how this stipulation is considered and solved in law. This paper analyzes the stipulation of exemption of personal injury in four parts. The study concentrates on two aspects: the relationship between stipulation of exemption of personal injury and victim consent and assumption of the risk and legal adjustment of stipulation of exemption of personal injury. The first part defines stipulation of exemption of personal injury. Stipulation of exemption of personal injury, that is beforehand stipulation, refers to the stipulation of exemption of would-be personal injury compensation before the injury accident between the parties concerned happens. Stipulation of exemption of personal injury, as a contract or clauses of a contract, represents the will of the party concerned. Principle of autonomy of private law shall be the legal foundation of legal adjustment of stipulation of exemption of personal injury. In period of free capitalism, the western world follows absolute autonomy of private law or concept of free contract. The party concerning the contract is considered as the best judge of his own interests. As monopoly capitalism came into being, things developed in reverse direction. Too much emphasis on autonomy of private law leads to conflicts with social justice. Things that do not conform to social justice will also not conform to social interests. This is contrary to the imagination of Enlightenment scholars. Too much emphasis on rights frequently leads to situations of anti-justice; too much emphasis on autonomy of private law will lead to power abuse. Power abuse will do harm to other people and the society, so concept of absolute autonomy of private law is adjusted. The so-called autonomy of private law shall within the limitation of law; otherwise, it goes to the opposite side. Modern society makes extensive amendment to autonomy of private law in form. The foundation of negation of autonomy of private law shall be that autonomy of private law in form violates its ethic foundation and real foundation and it conflicts with principle of public order and good morals. The author thinks, the adjustment of stipulation of exemption of personal injury shall still be guided by fundamental principle of autonomy of private law and be dealt with cautiously so that it can conform to principle of modern autonomy of private law. The second part elaborates the first problem, that is, the relationship between the relationship between stipulation of exemption of personal injury and victim consent and assumption of the risk. The author thinks that these three belong to three independent categories. Concerning this problem, there are two different views in theory. The first view considers stipulation of exemption of personal injury as victim consent and the other view considers these two are independent. The author prefers that stipulation of exemption of personal injury and victim are independent. Through comparison, the author considers stipulation of exemption of personal injury as civil act, which demonstrates arrangement that the parties concerned share the injury. It does not have the function of excluding the nature of violation of law of the act. Victim consent belongs to quasi-law act and legitimate and valid victim consent has the function of excluding the nature of violation of law of the act. They are greatly different in content, legal nature, valid elements and legal functions. In nature, victim consent demonstrates that the victim carries out his or her rights. Stipulation of exemption of personal injury must be basedon legal relationship of contract and it is a kind of assumption of the liability of injury compensation. Some scholars propose that stipulation of exemption shall be explained by assumption of the risk, but the author thinks that assumption of the risk is a misconduct of the victim. It cannot negate the nature of violation of law of the inflictor or the existence of offence. There are two causative effects of the existence of assumption of the risk and therefore the injury shall be shared by the parties concerned. In the condition of act of assumption of the risk, there is no meaning connection between the victim, the inflictor and the two parties do not arrive at consent for the injury and the victim does not make any explicit indication. Assumption of the risk shows that the actor neglects his or her own rights, so it belongs to the category of offence of the victim. The distinction between the two is obvious. The third part concerns categorized analysis of stipulation of exemption of personal injury. It analyzes specific demonstrations and legal requirements of stipulation of exemption of personal injury in medical areas and sports areas. The fourth part concentrates on the second problem, that is, legal adjustment of stipulation of exemption of personal injury. This part introduces legislation and theoretical achievements in foreign countries concerning this problem and criticizes theoretical foundation of single way of solution. Civil liability is, in deed, not only compensative, but also punitive. Compensation is the basic function of civil law, while punishment is auxiliary function. In other words, even though serious violation of civil law is not investigated for civil liability, it still can be investigated for administrative liability, or even criminal liability. Punitive function of civil liability is limited. The stipulation exempts personal injury compensation liability. From the aspect of rights, it is right of recourse for personal injury compensation, and right of relief that is derived from personal right. This right shall be called a kind of right of property; therefore, its punitive target is not personal right and it is unreasonable to negate validity of stipulation of exemption of personal injury by the punitive limitation of personal right. Finally, it provides ideas for specific adjustment of stipulation of exemption of personal injury based on subject, form and object of stipulationof exemption of personal injury and discusses techniques in legislation. The author thinks that general law and special law can be combined. In validity evaluation system, adjustments can be made in way of absolute invalidity or relative invalidity. The party concerned is endowed with right of revocation so that he or she can flexibly choose the way. The judge can be endowed with right of discretion to some extent, so he can flexibly solve some special problems when application of general regulations is against requirements of justices. As a kind of exemption clause, stipulation of exemption of personal injury is contractual act to eliminate debt by consent of the two parties. In this aspect, it is obviously different from victim consent and assumption of the risk. Stipulation of exemption of personal injury concerns core value of personal right, it connects with realization of autonomy of private law and has many representations and extensive existence, so its adjustment shall not be in uniform way and shall be analyzed in detail in academic theory.