La notion de bonne foi dans les immunités législatives au Québec : entre imprécision et redondance

Les immunités législatives pour bonne foi sont une composante importante des règles spécifiques s’appliquant à la responsabilité civile des administrations publiques. Apparues dans les années 1940 au Québec, elles visent à insuffler à la responsabilité civile les considérations propres à l’action étatique (difficulté des tâches, pouvoir discrétionnaire, liberté d’action, etc.). Or, la notion principale de ces immunités, la bonne foi, est d’une nature fragile. Tiraillée entre une vision subjective et objective, elle souffre de nombreuses lacunes. Originalement fondée sur l’évaluation de l’état d’esprit d’une personne, la bonne foi reproduit dorénavant le concept de faute lourde présent en responsabilité civile. Il en résulte un système qui crée de la confusion sur l’état mental nécessaire pour entrainer la responsabilité d’une administration publique. Au surplus, le régime de la bonne foi est variable et change selon les fonctions exercées par les administrations publiques. Ces attributs mettent en exergue le peu d’utilité de cette notion : la bonne foi dédouble plusieurs éléments déjà présents en responsabilité civile québécoise et partant de là, affaiblit sa place comme règle particulière applicable aux administrations publiques. Bref, par son caractère adaptable, la bonne foi est un calque de la responsabilité civile québécoise et son faible apport embrouille le régime de cette dernière.

La facultad de modificación unilateral en los contratos de distribución de acuerdo con la jurisprudencia arbitral

Las partes pueden pactar cláusulas de modificación unilateral en los contratos de distribución, puesto que dicha facultad se encuentra fundamentada en el ejercicio de la autonomía de la voluntad, por medio del cual las partes pueden elegir la manera y la figura mediante la cual van a desarrollar sus relaciones. Sin embargo, dicha facultad no es absoluta y tiene un límite en el orden público y las buenas costumbres. Particularmente en el contrato de distribución, por ser atípico, esta facultad presenta mayor relevancia pues al analizar sus elementos esenciales, no se puede acudir a la ley, sino que se debe acudir a la costumbre y a la práctica mercantil. Para analizar e interpretar la facultad de modificación unilateral, los tribunales arbitrales parten del principio de buena fe, a través del cual se analiza si el ejercicio de dicha facultad es abusivo, pues se ha establecido que este tipo de cláusulas no son en sí mismas abusivas. El análisis trazado se realiza de acuerdo con el del principio de la buena fe en las diferentes etapas de la negociación, debiendo estar presente a su vez durante toda la negociación y posteriormente durante su ejecución. Así, entonces, los árbitros analizan si la cláusula de modificación unilateral fue pactada, es decir que se revisa la validez de la misma y, en segundo lugar, se analiza si el ejercicio de la cláusula fue abusivo, es decir si conllevó a un abuso del derecho o a un abuso de la posición dominante en el contrato.

La utilidad de la consulta previa como instrumento político estudio de caso: “la consulta previa adelantada entre el resguardo Santa Teresita del Tuparro y la petrolera BHP Billiton en el año 2010”

En el presente trabajo de grado, estudiaremos la utilidad de la Consulta Previa como instrumento político, a partir del análisis del proceso adelantado entre el Resguardo Santa Teresita del Tuparro y la Petrolera BHP Billiton en el año 2010, en el municipio de Cumaribo, Vichada, identificando si existen fortalezas y buenas prácticas que permitan equilibrar el interés general y el de las minorías, en beneficio de la gobernabilidad dentro del contexto colombiano. Para cumplir con el objetivo descrito, haremos un análisis de los diferentes roles de los actores involucrados en el presente estudio de caso, desde los conceptos de legitimidad y representatividad y analizaremos si la Consulta Previa adelantada de manera idónea, mediante la aplicación de principios como buena fe, transparencia, comunicación asertiva, y reconocimiento mutuo entre los actores, puede ser una herramienta eficaz, dentro de la democracia participativa.

International Law as a Source of Constitutional Law

This article has the purpose to prove that the Customary International Law and the Conventional International Law are sources of Constitutional Law. First, it analyses the matter of the relations between International Law and National or Domestic law according with the theories dualism and monist and international decisions. Then, it studies the reception and the hierarchy of International Customary and Conventional Law to Domestic Law including Constitution. This matter has been studied according with several Constitutions and the international doctrine. Then, it considers the constitutional regulations about international law in the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia. The general conclusion is that International Law is incorporated in domestic law according with the Constitution of each country. But every state has the duty to carry out in good faith its obligations arising from treaties and other sources of International Law, and it may not invoke provisions in its Constitutions or its Laws as an excuse for failure to perform this duty. Accordingly, state practice and decided cases have established this provision, and the same rule is established in articles 27 and 46 of the Vienna Convention on Law of Treaties of 1969.

Los principios de interpretación de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los contratos de compraventa internacional de mercaderías (Tema Central)

Si bien los redactores de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Contratos de Compraventa Internacional de Mercaderías no establecieron de manera expresa los métodos para adelantar la operación hermenéutica de este instrumento, sí previeron algunos principios que, en líneas generales, configuran un “sistema autónomo de interpretación” –acorde con las exigencias de su naturaleza internacional–, que se traduce en una operación de lógica jurídica que tiene por objeto determinar el alcance y sentido de los términos utilizados por la Convención y de los contratos que suscriban las partes. Este trabajo procura examinar el carácter internacional de la Convención, la necesidad de promover la uniformidad en su aplicación, y la de asegurar la observancia de la buena fe en el comercio internacional. En la segunda parte se analizan los criterios previstos en la Convención para la interpretación específica de las declaraciones y los actos realizados por las partes.

El levantamiento del velo en la doctrina y la jurisprudencia ecuatoriana

La persona jurídica es un centro de imputación diferenciado, en el cual se limita la responsabilidad patrimonial de quienes se asocian. sin embargo, a veces esta figura puede ser mal utilizada para alcanzar metas prohibidas por la ley o para perjudicar a terceros. La legislación ha previsto mecanismos para evitar esta utilización indebida de la persona jurídica, pero, excepcionalmente, se dan casos en que la solución legislativa no es suficiente, por lo que, partiendo de los principios generales del derecho de la buena fe, la lealtad y la equidad, la jurisprudencia ha desestimado la personalidad jurídica y ha llegado hasta quienes, amparándose en la figura societaria, han pretendido burlar la ley o abusar del derecho. Se ha desarrollado la teoría del regard of legal entity, que recibe muchos nombres en español (se ha preferido el de levantamiento del velo) que permite al juez, excepcionalmente, levantar el velo que separa al espectador de la realidad, a fin de imponer a los responsables del fraude o el abuso, la responsabilidad que les corresponda. en primer lugar se hace una breve exposición de la teoría, reseñando lo que han dicho los autores, para continuar examinando la situación ecuatoriana, las disposiciones legales aplicables y las sentencias en las cuales los jueces se han referido a esta teoría, y concluir señalando la naturaleza procesal de la figura, la inconveniencia de dictar una ley que la incorpore al ordenamiento jurídico y el riesgo de una utilización masiva e indiscriminada.

Directors' duty to use their powers for proper or permissable purposes

This article focuses generally on the interaction among several internal company law doctrines such as the supremacy of the articles of association; that other organs cannot interfere with powers exclusively conferred upon a particular organ; that courts will not readily interfere with internal company matters; that directors are under a duty to act in good faith and in the best interest of the company as a whole and under a duty to use their powers for proper or permissible purposes; and that there are some remedies available to shareholders if directors did not perform their powers for a proper or permissible purpose. The specific aim with the article is to establish when and why the courts will be prepared to set aside decisions by directors if they have taken them for an improper or impermissible purpose. The article concludes that the courts will be prepared to set the decisions of directors aside when they have used a particular power substantially or primarily for an improper or impermissible purpose. When the exercise of directors' powers is challenged under circumstances where there were both permissible and impermissible purposes for exercising a particular power, there is no alternative for the court but to inquire into the complex area of the state of mind of those who acted and the motive on which they acted. This is, in fact, second-guessing the decisions of directors.

Ethics in a capitalistic society

The problem of semantics is inherent in any discussion of ethics. The general term "ethics" is itself commonly confused. In addition, systems of ethics must be built upon assumptions, and assumptions are necessarily subject to lengthy debate. These two problems are encountered in my investigation of the ethical practices of the modern business community and to remedy the situation I have taken two steps: the first being an attempt to clarify the meaning of terms used therein;-and the second being a clear description of the assumptions utilized to further my analysis. To satisfy those who would disagree with these assumptions, I have attempted to outline the consequences of differing premises. The first assumption in my discussion is that the capitalistic economy is powered by the motivation supplied by man's self-interest. We are conditioned to basing our courses of action upon an orientation toward gratifying this self-interest. Careers are chosen by blending aptitude, interest, and remuneration. of course, some people are less materially inclined than others, but the average member of our capitalistic society is concerned with the physical rewards derived from his employment. Status and happiness are all-important considerations in pursuing a chosen course of action, yet all too often they are measured in physical terms. The normal self-interest natural to mankind is heightened in capitalism, due to the emphasis placed upon material compensation. Our thinking becomes mechanistic as life devolves into a complex game played by the rules. We are accustomed to performing meaningless or unpleasant duties to fulfill our gratifications. Thought, consequently, interferes with the completion of our everyday routines. We learn quickly not to be outspoken, as the outspoken one threatens the security of his fellow man. The majority of the people are quite willing to accept others views on morality, and indeed this is the sensible thing to do as one does not risk his own neck. The unfortunate consequence of this situation has been the substitution of the legal and jural for the moral and ethical. Our actions are guided by legal considerations and nowhere has this been more evident than in the business community. The large legal departments of modern corporations devote full time to inspecting the legality of corporate actions. The business community has become preoccupied with the law, yet this is necessarily so. Complex, modern, capitalistic society demands an elaborate framework of rules and regulations. Without this framework it would be impossible to have an orderly economy, to say nothing of protecting the best interests of the people. However, the inherent complexities, contradictions, and sometimes unfair aspects of our legal system can tempt men to take things into their own hands. From time to time cases arise where men have broken laws while acting in good faith, and other cases where men have been extremely unethical without being illegal. Examples such as these foster the growth of cynicism, and generally create an antagonistic attitude toward the law on the part of business. My second assumption is that the public, on the whole, has adopted an apathetic attitude toward business morality. when faced with an ethical problem, far too many people choose to cynically assume that, if I don't do it someone else will. "The danger of such an assumption lies in that it eliminates many of the inhibitions that normally would preclude unethical action. The preventative factor in contemplating an unethical act not only lies in it going against the "right course of action", but also in that it would display the actor as one of the few, immoral practitioners. However, if the contemplator feels that many other people follow the same course of action, he would not feel himself to be so conspicuous. These two assumptions underly my entire discussion of modern business ethics., and in my judgment are the two most important causal factors in unethical acts perpetrated by the business community. The future elimination of these factors seems improbable, if not futile, yet there is no reason to consider things worse than they ever have been before. The heightened public interest in business morality undoubtedly lies in part in the fact that examples of corporate malpractice are of such magnitude in scope, and hence more newsworthy.

Spare the rod and spoil the child : should the abolition of corporal punishment be reversed?

The classic English case of Williams v Eady (1893) had, for over a century, supported a teacher acting in loco parentis when inflicting punishment on a child, so long as the punishment was reasonable and given in good faith. But in response to the European Convention on Human Rights, which calls for all to respect a child’s right not to be “subject to torture or to inhumane or degrading treatment” (Article 3), many countries have banned the practice of using corporal punishment in schools. This might even include the use of reasonable force to prevent a student from injuring others or causing damage to property if it is seen as a form of discipline or punishment. Schools, therefore, have a difficult task of striking a balance between providing a safe environment for the whole school community and a child’s individual rights. This paper gives an overview of the trends in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and Singapore concerning corporal punishment, and then discusses the implications for employing or banning corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy. The discussion takes on a brief jurisprudential analysis of this issue: that is, whether, corporal punishment, if carried out reasonably, is seen as a proper form of discipline, ensuring a safe and disciplined environment in which the school community, as a whole, might operate. Is the teaching profession over regulated in the area of physical discipline? If so, would the continuation or reintroduction of corporal punishment make sense, or would it make education an even riskier business?

Corporal punishment - archaic or reasonable discipline method?

The classic English case of Williams v Eady (1893) had, for over a century, supported a teacher acting in loco parentis when inflicting punishment on a child, so long as the punishment was reasonable and given in good faith. But in response to Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights ('ECHR '), which calls for all to respect a child's right not to be 'subject to torture or to inhumane or degrading treatment', many countries have banned the practice of using corporal punishment in schools. This might even include the use of reasonable force to prevent a Student from injuring others or causing damage to property if it is seen as a form of discipline or punishment. Schools, therefore, have a difficult task of striking a balance between providing a safe environment for the whole school community and a child's individual rights. This paper gives an overview of corporal punishment trends in the United States (US), Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada and Singapore, and then looks briefly at the jurisprudence of the courts on this issue. It then discusses the implications for employing or banning corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy, and in particular whether corporal punishment, if carried out reasonably, could be considered a reasonable form of discipline, ensuring a safe and disciplined environment in which the school community, as a whole, might operate.

The insurance function of contracts

One of the central problems in contract law is to define the frontier between legal and illegal breaches of promises. The distinction between good and bad faith is perhaps the conceptual tool most commonly used to tell one from the other. Lawyers spend a lot of energy trying to frame better definitions of the concepts of good and bad faith based on principles of ethics or justice, but often pay much less attention to theories dealing with the incentives that can engender good faith behavior in contractual relationships. By describing the economics of what Stiglitz defined as “explicit” and “implicit” insurance, I highlight the “insurance function” hidden in any promise with basically no mathematical notation. My aim is to render the subject intelligible and useful to lawyers with little familiarity with economics.

A responsabilização do coordenador líder de ofertas públicas de ações por infração ao dever de informar: como indenizar os danos dos investidores?

O presente trabalho analisa a aplicabilidade dos regimes de responsabilidade civil para indenizar os investidores por danos decorrentes de infrações do coordenador líder de oferta pública de ações. A responsabilização desse agente tem por base o dever de agir com elevado padrão de diligência para: (i) assegurar a qualidade das informações; (ii) divulgar informações de forma que permita o investidor tomar uma decisão fundamentada; e (iii) atuar em conformidade com o princípio da boa-fé. Para tanto, serão estudados os regimes de responsabilidade civil subjetiva, fundado na conduta culposa do coordenador líder, e de responsabilidade objetiva, com base no Código de Defesa do Consumidor e no risco da atividade de intermediação financeira em ofertas públicas de ações. Pretende-se, por fim, identificar o regime mais apropriado para a reparação de danos dos investidores.

Conflito de interesse: a nova posição da CVM

O parágrafo primeiro do artigo 115 da Lei n. 6.404/76 dispõe que o acionista não poderá votar, entre outras, quando possuir interesse conflitante com o da companhia. Contudo, a legislação não estabelece o critério de avaliação do conflito, restando à doutrina e à jurisprudência fazê-lo. Dessa maneira surgiram os critérios formal e substancial. A Comissão de Valores Mobiliários – CVM, autarquia responsável pela regulação e fiscalização das sociedades anônimas, já adotou ambos os critérios e nos autos do Caso Tractebel consolidou seu novo entendimento, qual seja, pela adoção do critério formal de verificação do conflito. Assim, esse trabalho tem como objetivo analisar jurisprudências anteriores ao Caso Tractebel para entender a argumentação utilizada em cada um desses casos para, ao final, analisar a argumentação trazida pela CVM para fundamentar seu novo entendimento.

Dinamicização da distribuição do ônus da prova no processo civil brasileiro

Esta dissertação tem como objetivo principal analisar o cabimento, no direito processual brasileiro, de uma distribuição dinâmica das regras do ônus da prova. Na primeira parte, são analisados o conceito, o objeto e a finalidade da prova, com apontamento da distinção entre fontes e meios. Após, são estudados o conceito de ônus da prova e sua distinção da obrigação, dando ênfase aos seus aspectos objetivo e subjetivo e às principais teorias, antigas e modernas, que tratam dos critérios para a distribuição do ônus da prova. Estudou-se, em seguida, os principais fenômenos relacionados ao ônus da prova, quais sejam a distribuição, cuja regra geral está no art. 333 do CPC, e a redistribuição como gênero, tendo com espécies a redistribuição strictu sensu, cabível em casos de probatio diabolica e em excepcionais casos em que a prova se apresenta difícil por fatores externos ao processo, e a inversão, cujo exemplo, no direito pátrio, é o art. 6o, inc. VIII, do CDC. Na segunda parte do trabalho, são apresentadas duas novas teorias sobre a distribuição do ônus da prova: a visão solidarista do ônus da prova e a teoria dinâmica dos ônus probatórios. Por fim, ante a necessidade de flexibilização das atuais regras gerais de distribuição do ônus da prova e, ao mesmo tempo, controle do excessivo subjetivismo judicial, analisa-se o cabimento da aplicação da teoria dinâmica no direito brasileiro, apontando-se os parâmetros para a decisão judicial que a aplique. Do estudo, concluiu-se que o direito processual brasileiro admite a aplicação da teoria dinâmica dos ônus probatórios em face da incidência do princípio da igualdade, dos poderes instrutórios do juiz e do dever de lealdade, boa-fé e colaboração das partes. Concluiuse, ainda, que embora possa acontecer em momento diverso, o momento mais oportuno para a ocorrência da redistribuição do ônus da prova é a audiência preliminar, não podendo se verificar, em nenhuma hipótese, surpresa às partes, sob pena de ferimento ao princípio do contraditório. Quanto à decisão judicial que aplica a teoria dinâmica, deve esta levar em conta que tal aplicação é de caráter excepcionalíssimo, devendo ser bem fundamentada.