美国财产法.docx

1、美国财产法美国财产法第一章 序言1.1 Introduction牛津大学比较法教授Lawson(劳森)曾说:财产法(Property law)不仅是我们法律中最好的一部分,而且它的主要原则和结构也优越于其它国家关于这个领域的法律。所以学习美国法律,Property law是一门必修的的课程,另外,它也是美国各州律师资格考试的必考科目之一。在开始这门课之前,还是先让我们来看看Blackacre这个词。1.2 BlackacreBlackacre这个词在一些美国财产法的著作里经常看到,但在常用的英汉法律词典里却找不到它的译义,有学者将它直译黑土地,其实Blackacre是一个虚构的(hypothe

2、tical)概念,代表财产权的一种标的物:某一块土地或某一栋房屋。法学教授们在课堂上讨论与不动产有关的问题,需要假设一个案例时就会经常用到它,比如:A occupies Blackacre under a lease from B.另外,教授们如果虚构某一土地为Blackacre,还想虚构另一块土地,那另一块土地就称之为Whiteacre. Blacks law dictionary 对Blackacre解释如下:A fictitious tract of land used in legal discourse to discuss real-property issues. When an

3、other tract of land is needed in a hypothetical, it is often termed whiteacre.Note: 美国财产法大量地使用一些像Blackacre之类的专业术语,要理解美国财产法,就必须掌握这些财产法的专业词汇,美国学生也得如此,我们编写这本小册子就是想提供一些重要的词汇,读者通过这些词汇和对其上下文的理解,可以对美国财产法有一个全面的了解。是为序。第二章 财产和财产权2.1 What is PropertyProperty一般译为财产,通常的理解是指某一具体的物,又可以分为不动产(Real property)和动产(Perso

4、nal property),这种划分来源于普通法早期的诉讼程序, 在此诉讼程序中,有两种诉讼,一为真实的诉讼(Real action),处理土地为他人不当占有的案子,这时土地可以返回给合法的所有人,另一种为个人的诉讼(Personal action),处理土地以外的的财产纠纷,这时所有人只能获得金钱赔偿,不得要求返还原物。关于动产,英文有Chattels和personal property两种不同的表述,现在,人们一改早期普遍使用的Chattels,而广泛地采用personal property.动产又可以分为两类:有形动产(Tangible personal property)和无形动产(I

5、ntangible personal property Types of property),前者指能够看到、摸得到的有体财产,而后者则指看不到、摸不到的无体财产,如股份,银行账号,人寿保险等。Note: According to Blacks Law Dictionary, property is defined as: That which is peculiar or proper to any person; that which belongs exclusively to one; an aggregate of rights which are guaranteed and pr

6、otected by the government. Property extends to every species of valuable right and interestthe right to posses it, use it, and to exclude every one else from interfering with it.问题:下面哪些不是财产？a) Military Retirementb) Earning Capacityc) Accrued Goodwill of Medical Practiced) Law Degree答案:都不是2.2 Philoso

7、phies财产和财产权是什么？不同的法学家和法学派(Philosophies)有不同的观点,以下就是几个有代表性的观点:Posner(波斯纳):(1)财产权是天赋的(Property rights are natural)；(2)没有财产权,财产就不能被有效地利用(Without property rights, there is no incentive to use property efficiently.)；(3)普遍性(Universality)、排他性(Exclusivity)和可转让性(Transferability)是财产权的三大要素(Three Elements).Benth

8、am (边沁)：property是一种能够从物当中获得一种利益的期待(basis for expectation).Cohen(科恩):财产权必须要考虑到下列因素:政府、契约、管制、价值(Propertymerges by imperceptible degrees into government, contract, force & value).Locke(洛克):劳动创造财产(Labor creates property).Note: 关于边沁和波斯纳之观点比较,请参见下列注释:Comparing Bentham to Posner(1) Anomalies under Bentham:

9、 Under the Posner theory, property is something that has value, not just what is legally defined as property as under Bentham, but from what people hold as having value. There are several cases of items treated as property without law, such as illegal drugs, territories for marketing such, boyfriend

10、s and girlfriends. Here no property right exists but people treat it as such either by enforcement of societal values or by fear of retaliation.(2) Anomalies under Posner: Transferability frequently measures more how much a person wants something, we being non-rational operators, than how efficientl

11、y we will do so. Transferability of some items actually induces inefficiencies, such as those which are merit based. If you could transfer law school admissions, you would be measuring who wanted it the most, or who could pay the most for it, and not who could best utilize it.2.3 Attributes of Owner

12、ship大陆法系的法律以所有权(Ownership)为基础来分析财产和财产权,宣称一物一权,美国财产法不像大陆法系那样强调财产的所有权,它重视的是财产权中各种不同的利益和所有权的分割情况(Attributes of Ownership),这些利益常常是指:e) 占有权Possession (right to have, hold, & keep)f) 排他权Exclusion (right to exclude others)g) 处置权Disposition (right to alienate)h) 使用权Use (right to employ the property as desir

13、ed)i) 受益权Benefit (right to profits realized through propertys use)j) 破坏权Destruction (right to destroy property)2.4 Origins of Property一个人如何获得一件物品的财产权呢？财产权的最原始取得(Origins of Property)是如何实现的呢？按照洛克的观点(Lockean view):财产是通过劳动和努力来取得的(Property is acquired through investment of labor and effort),关于财产的取得(Acqui

14、sition),这里还有一条重要的原则: First in time, first in right(时间在先,则权利在先).例如在美国:Indians have right to land, they were here first。Note:如果想在美国买房子或土地,就要查询其所有权的链锁(Chain of title),这个链锁可以追溯到该财产的原始取得之时,如果这个链锁的记录有问题,那你购买该财产就不安全,别的人可能对所有权提出争议,这个情况我们以后会详细讨论。2.5 经典案例(中英文对照)Case: Armory v. DelamirieThe plaintiff being a c

15、himney sweepers boy found a jewel and carried it to the defendants shop (who was a goldsmith) to know what it was, and delivered it into the hands of the apprentice, who under pretence of weighing it, took out the stones, and calling to the master to let him know it came to three halfpence, the mast

16、er offered the boy the money, who refused to take it, and insisted to have the thing again, whereupon the apprentice delivered him back the socket without the stones. And now in trover against the master these points were ruled:1. That the finder of a jewel, though he does not by such finding acquir

17、e an absolute property or ownership, yet he has such a property as will enable him to keep it against all but the rightful owner, and subsequently may maintain trover.2. That the action well lay against the master, who gives a credit to his apprentice, add is answerable for his neglect.3. As to the

18、value of the jewel several of the trade were examined to prove what a jewel of the finest water that would fit the socket would be worth; and the Chief Justice directed the jury, that unless the defendant did produce the jewel, and shew it not to be of the finest water, they should presume the stron

19、gest case against him, and make the value of the best jewels the measure of their damages: which they accordingly did.案例来源:(1722) 1 Strange 5O5; 93 E.R. 664(Court of Kings Bench)案例:阿莫里捡宝石案该案发生在1722年的英国。原告是一个烟筒清洁工。一天,原告捡到一枚宝石,然后交给被告金行鉴定。原告将宝石交给金行的徒弟手里。该徒弟在假装称重时将宝石取下,然后告诉师傅,原告捡到的东西价值3个半便士。师傅就付钱给原告。原告不

20、接受钱,坚持要求被告返还原物。徒弟在要求之下只将嵌宝石的托子还给原告,没有将宝石还给原告。现在原告以失主的身份起诉,要求被告赔偿。法院的判决如下:(1)尽管失物的发现者不因拾到宝石而获得一种绝对的所有权(ownership),但是他有这样一种财产权,即可以保留失物,除了原失主以外任何人都不得妨碍。因此,原告可以具有失主的身份。(2)这个诉讼的被告是金行的师傅是正确的。金行的师傅信任他的徒弟,因而对自己的疏忽大意负有责任。(3)至于宝石的价值,根据考查交易行情,只有最好水准的宝石才配有该托子。法官指示陪审团,除非被告拿出原宝石并证明它不是最好水准的,陪审团就应当要求被告按照最好水准的宝石来计算宝

21、石赔偿价值。Note: 这个案子已经有270多年的历史了,但是至今美国法院仍视其为美国普通法的原则之一。法学院的教科书中仍可以读到这个案子。这个案子的关键部分是判决的第一部分,即失物的发现者可以享有占有该失物的财产权。这个财产权属于一种先占(prior possession).先占只要不是非法的,就可以导致所有权。在这个案子里,如果原告一直没有出现并诉求归还宝石,那么阿莫里就有可能获得一种完全的所有权。2.6 本章节英文读物:First-in-time rule1. The general rule of possession is that the first person to take

22、a possession of a thing owns it. A corollary to this rule is that a prior possessor prevails over a subsequent possessor. Thus, a finder has rights superior to everyone but the true owner. Armory v. Delamarie. However, there are important exceptions to this rule.EX: In Armory, A finds a jewel and ta

23、kes it to a jeweler to have it appraised. The jeweler refuses to give the jewel back to A, saying that A does not own it. A is entitled to recover fromthe jeweler either the jewel or the full money value of the jewel. As between A and the jeweler, the prior possessor has superior right.2. The prior

24、possessor wins rule also applies to objects acquired through theft or trespass.EX: If A steals a jewel and hands it to B, who refuses to return it, B is liable to A. B cannot question As title or rightful prior possession if B is merely the subsequent possessor.The rationale for this is that to rule

25、 in favor of B would most likely not deter crime, but it would likely immerse owners and prior possessors in costly litigation with subsequent possessors to prove they are not thieves.3. For the finder to become a prior possessor, the finder must:a. Intend to possess object； ANDb. Take steps toward

26、possessing objectThus, mere discovery is not enough for possession.2008-11-06 16:23第三章：占有3.1 Possession在英美的财产法上,占有一词有两种不同的表述:Seisin和Possession. Seisin是指对不同产的的占有,Possession是对动产的占有,Seisin并非指单纯的占有,它是和权利相关联的概念,主要是指通过占有获得收益的权利；而Possession则不同,它不表明通过占有而获得收益的权利。占有(Possession)是指在事实上占据或控制财产的一种权利。占有权主要包括以下基本内容

27、:(1)原始占有,A野生动物的占有(Wild animals),B优先占有(First possession),C政府优先占有；(2)发现者占有权(Finder of lost articles)；(3)时效占有(Adverse possession)；(4)委托占有(Bailment).美国财产上法的占有还可以根据不的属性划分为不同的种类: 实际占有(Actual possession)和推定占有(Constructive possession);独自占有(Sole possession)和共同占有(Joint possession);善意占有(Possession Bona Fide)和恶

28、意占有(Possession Mala Fide)英文注释:Possession is difficult to define. A person is in possession of object he physically controls (such as an apple held in his hand). But hemay be in possession of objects not in his presence, such as the chairin his backyard when he left for work. A person may even be inp

29、ossession of objects in his house, or under the soil of his house (i.e., minerals or oil) of which he is unaware. Thus, like property,possession is an elastic word； its meaning varies with the contextinvolved and the purposes in view.B. Different than ownership: Possession is not the same as ownersh

30、ip. Ownership is title, and is usually proved by showing documents signed by the previous owner of first possessor transferring title to the present titleholder. Possession is proved by showing physical control and the intent to exclude others.NOTE: Possession is easier to prove than ownership.EX: A

31、 buys a watch from a jeweler, who bought it from the manufacturer. B steals the watch from A. To recover the watch, A must prove ownership or prior possession of the watch. To prove ownership, one must produce the sales slip from the jeweler or other proof of title, which A has probably lost. To prove prior possession, though, A has only to prove that the watch was in As physical possession before theft.C. Constructive possession: A person is in constructivepossession when the law treats him as if he is in possessionalthough, in fact, he is unaware of i