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在全球疫情下以證據法思維武裝自己(二)對專家證人的獨立要求與對仲裁員的比較

2020/3/3 字體: 來源: 作者:

在全球疫情下以證據法思維武裝自己(二)對專家證人的獨立要求與對仲裁員的比較

作者|楊良宜(最高院國際商事法庭專家委員會委員、香港國際仲裁中心名譽主席


(接上文)


不斷聽到說法是專家證人不能作為委任他/她一方當事人的槍手(hired gun), 看來對專家證人的持平性或公平公正的要求與仲裁員(arbitrator)的要求接近或 一樣。從 CPR Rule 35.3 的題目(Experts - overriding duty to the court)可以看出 專家證人的超越性責任的對象是法院,而不是委任的客戶,雖然有公平 (impartiality)的要求。另在 CPR PD 35 para.2.2 也要求專家證人向法院提供獨 立(independent)、客觀(objective)與不偏私(unbiased)的意見。但實際上著 是與對仲裁員(更不用法官)的要求的自然公正(Natural Justice)與不能有利益 沖突(conflict of interest)有重要分別,可去列舉以下幾點: (一)與仲裁員要作出一個最終(final)與有法律強制與約束力的裁決(Award) 相比,專家證人所做的與所起的作用關鍵性就低得多了。后者只是向法院(或仲 裁庭)提供專家意見,聽不聽這一個意見完全是法院(或仲裁庭)的裁量權。換 言之,法院是可以通過根據專家證人顯示的不獨立、不容觀、偏袒與有利益沖突 的程度對該專家證人提供的意見證據給予不同的重量(weight),甚至不給任何重 量,因為這種意見是完全不值得聽取的。 (二)另是,訴訟方懷疑對方的專家證人,大可以在出庭審理時的交叉盤問 階段盤問他/她有關利益沖突方面的問題,以及在宣誓下確認他/她是完全理解對 法院的超越性責任。 (三)現實中,會有需要的專家證人是有明顯的利益沖突的情況,例如他/她 與委任的訴訟方是雇傭關系(employer-employee relation):見 Field v. Leeds City Council (2001) 2 CPLR 129; Gallaher International Ltd v. Tlais Enterprises Ltd (2007) EWHC 464 (Comm); Kennedy v. Cordia (Services) LLP (2016) UKSC 6 等先例。這 種情況常會出現在一些尖端或獨特的行業,外面沒有獨立的專家,能找到的可提 供專家意見的人士要么是訴訟方公司自己的雇員,要么是少數競爭對方甚至是對 方訴訟方公司的雇員。顯然,如果法院(或仲裁庭)需要對有關專業了解才能掌 握事實真相并需要協助,就沒有必要(而且也不現實,因為沒有其他更好選擇) 抗拒訴訟方委任自己雇員作為專家證人了。而只要該雇員在有關爭議的專業是真 正懂行的專家,也完全理解他/她作為專家證人的超越性責任是協助法院(或仲 裁庭),并且能夠讓法院接受他/她有履行這個責任,也就看不出與外面的獨立專 家證人有什么分別了。 這可節錄上訴庭在 R (Factortame Ltd) v. Transport Secretary (No.8)(2003) QB 381 CA 先例所說: “ ... applying to an expert witness the same text of apparent bias that would be applicable to the tribunal. We do not believe that this approach is correct. It would inevitably exclude an employee from giving expert evidence on behalf of an employer. Expert evidence comes in many forms and in relation to many different types of issues. It is always desirable that an expert should have no actual or apparent interest in the outcome of the proceedings in which he gives evidence, but such disinterest is not automatically a precondition to the admissibility of his evidence. Where an expert has an interest of one kind or another in the outcome of a case, this fact should be made known to the court as soon as possible. The question of whether the proposed expert should be permitted to give evidence should then be determined in the course of case management. In considering that question the judge will have to weigh the alternative choices if the expert's evidence is excluded, having regard to the overriding objective of the Civil Procedure Rules.” (四)所以有說法是分別在仲裁員必須是(法官更是如此)不光是真正做到 公平公眾,而且要被看到是公平公正(Justice must not only be done, must also seem to be done)。但專家證人則只需要真正做到,而不必在表面上被看到。 (五)這一來,就沒有好像發覺有利益沖突的法官成仲裁員自己必須拒絕審 理或委任,或在被訴訟方或其他人發覺有利益沖突后可以被法院走趕走(remove) 或撤銷(dismiss)一樣的做法,專家證人無須被趕走或撤銷。但考慮到法院在 CPR 下有一個超越性的主要目的是節省不必要的訴訟費用,所以在訴訟程序開始的案 件管理會議(Case Management Conference,簡稱 CMC)的時候,在雙方訴訟方 申請引進專家證據時,法院如果知道該專家證人有嚴重的利益沖突,不太可能將 來提供的意見會被法院采納,也不會對法院有幫助,就可以拒絕批準。這不是趕 走或撤銷專家證人,只是法院行使它的裁量權。而如果是在事后才發覺專家證人 涉及利益沖突、意見不獨立、處處為委任的訴訟方爭辯,與/或根本不知道與沒有 盡作為專家證人的超越性責任去協助法院,法院(或仲裁庭)可根據程度完全不 給該專家意見證據任何重量,并在費用上懲罰委任的訴訟方。所以,任何一方訴 訟方在委任專家證人也要掌握好輕重與十分小心,不要以為委任一個處處保護自 己利益,看客戶的臉色講話的專家就是好事。更可能會是勞民傷財,白花心思, 甚至有嚴重反效果。 (六)會是,筆者想到一個方面對公平公正的要求是仲裁員與專家證人一致 的,這就是他們都不能與委任的當事人或客戶約定風險代理收費(contingency fees),也就是按案件最終結果的成敗比例收費。這種收費安排明顯是在太過分, 不只是簡單的利益沖突,而是把利益與客戶串在一起。別說是仲裁員嚴格要求自 然公正過不了關,只要求獨立的專家證人也過不了關,難以相信他/她的專業意 見會是真心協助法院理解正確專業知識與他/她的經驗。正如 ex parte Factortame (No.8)(2003)QB 381 先例之 73 段說:“we consider that it will be a rare case indeed that the court will be prepared to consent to an expert being instructed under a contingency fee arrangement.” 總而言之專家證人在收取費用方面與客戶的關系上有任何不恰當的地方,例 如同意在案件結束后再收費,或客戶同意在其他案件中委任他/她等,或專家與 當事人有長期業務關系,即使專家證據被采納,也會在證據的重量方面有影響。例如在香港的 Tang Ping-Choi v. The Secretary for Transport (2004) HKCA 127 先例 中,上訴庭說: “… although an expert witness may be employed by a party to the litigation and/or may have undertaken activities which are inappropriate to his position, it is not the case that the entirely of his evidence is ‘tainted’ thereby rendering it automatically inadmissible.”   最后總結這方面,可節錄《Phipson on EVIDENCE 》( 2018 年,第 19 版) 一書之 33-30 段,如下: “The current state of the law may be summarized by the following principles. (1) It is always desirable that an expert should have no actual or apparent interest in the outcome of the proceedings. (2) The existence of such an interest, whether as an employee of one of the parties or otherwise, does not automatically render the evidence of the proposed expert inadmissible. It is the nature and extent of the interest or connection which matters, not the mere fact of the interest or connection. (3) Where the expert has an interest of one kind or another in the outcome of the case, the question of whether he should be permitted to give evidence should be determined as soon as possible in the course of case management. (4) The decision as to whether an expert should be permitted to give evidence in such circumstances is a matter of fact and degree. The test of apparent bias is not relevant to the question of whether an expert witness should be permitted to give evidence. (5) The questions which have to be determined are whether: (a) the person has relevant expertise; and  (b) he is aware of his primary duty to the court if they give expert evidence, and are willing and able, despite the interest or connection with the litigation or a party thereto, to carry out that duty. (6) The judge will have to weigh the alternative choices open if the expert’s evidence is excluded, having regard to the overriding objective of the Civil Procedure Rules. (7) If the expert has an interest which is not sufficient to preclude him from giving evidence the interest may nevertheless affect the weight of his evidence.” 
R. (on the application of Factortame & Others) v. Secretary of State for Transport, Environment & the Regions (No.2) (2002) 3 WLR 1104 先例,案情涉及原告在勝訴后要求敗訴的被告支付法務會計 (forensic accountant)的費用,金額是最終取回費用的 8%。但作為被告的英國政府認為這個安 排屬于攬訟,所以在法律上是無效。雖然《Courts and Legal Services Act 1990》立法允許在一定 幅度內根據案件結果有條件收費,但這不是風險代理收費。上訴庭最后判攬訟的法律只針對提供 爭辯與訴訟服務的律師與大律師,但不針對提供支持工作(support work)的法務會計。  
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