Developments In Austrian And Israeli Private Law

ThepresentcollectionofessaysisthefruitoftwosymposiumsofAustrian andIsraelischolars,thefirstofwhichwasheldinJerusalemandRamatGanin December1997,thesecondinViennainOctober1998. Thesemeetingstook placewithintheframeworkofapartnershipbetweentheHebrewUniversityof JerusalemandtheUniversityofVienna. Theypermittedastimulating comparativediscussionofinterestingquestionsinmajorfieldsofprivatelaw, suchascontracts,torts,familyandinheritancelaw. The21contributionstothisvolumeaddressimportantlegalissuesfrom differentperspectives. Theyinclude,ontheonehand,historicalresearch reachingbackintoBiblicalandotherAncientNearEastern,aswellas Talmudiclaw,andRomanlawasthefoundationofmodemEuropeanlegal systemsontheotherhand. Theydiscusscontemporaryproblems,mostof whicharenotconfinedtoaparticularnationallegalsystem;andtheyaddress questionsoflawreforminaEuropeanandglobalcontext. Theeditorsofthecollectionwishtothankanumberofinstitutionsand personswhohavemadethispublicationpossible. Financialsupportwasgiven bytheAustrianMinistryofScienceandTransport,bytheAssociationof FriendsoftheUniversityofViennaLawSchool,bytheRamatGanLaw College(whichalsoparticipatedinthesymposiums)andbytheHarryand MichaelSacherInstituteofLegislativeResearchandComparativeLaw,The Hebrew UniversityofJerusalem. Editorial supervision for the Israeli contributionswasprovidedbyProf. AlfredoMordechaiRabelIoandProf. IsraelGilead. OntheAustrianside,ProfessorsHerbertHausmaningerand HelmutKoziolsharedthistask. MichaelB. Dunn,HerbertHausmaninger's researchassistantattheCornellLawSchool,improvedEnglishlanguageand styleoftheAustriancontributions. Dr. RichardGamauf,Mag. VerenaHaas andMagretAItrichteroftheInstituteofRomanLawintheUniversityof Viennaprovidededitorialassistanceandauniformlayoutfortheentirepubli cation. Vienna,JerusalemandRamatGan June1999 Table ofContents ListofContributors IX Contract Law Berachyahu Lifshitz TheOriginsofObligationsAccordingtoJewishLaw . . Franz Bydlinski A"FlexibleSystem"ApproachtoContractLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Franz Bydlinski MistakeinAustrianPrivateLawViewedinTermsofa"Flexible System"Approach 21 Renee Sanilevici Force MajeureandFrustrationofContractinIsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Attila Fenyves TheInfluenceofChangedCircumstancesonContractsofLong Duration 59 Ricardo Ben-Oliel PaymentsbyBankingTransfersinPracticeandinLegalTheory 81 Daniel Friedman RestitutionofBenefitsGainedbyBreachofContract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 TortLaw Reuven Yaron WrongfulActsandReducedSanctions:AComparativeSurvey . . 103 Herbert Hausmaninger RomanTortLawintheAustrianCivilCodeof1811 . 113 Herbert Hausmaninger TheThirdPartialAmendment(1916)totheAustrianCivilCodeof 1811anditsInfluenceonTortLaw . 137 Helmut Koziol CharacteristicFeaturesofAustrianTortLaw . . 159 Helmut Koziol ProblemsofAlternativeCausationinTortLaw . 177 Israel Gilead Causation,Riskand"EvidentialLoss" inIsraeliTortLaw . 187 VIII TableofContents Israel Gilead TheLimitsofTortLiabilityinNegligenceandPureEconomicLoss. . . 197 Family and Inheritance Law Gideon Libson LegalStatusoftheJewishWomanintheGaonicPeriod:Muslim Influence-OvertandCovert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Pinhas Shifman TheStatusofWomeninIsraeliFamilyLaw:TheCaseforRefonn. . . . . . 245 Wolfgang Zankl RecentDevelopmentsinAustrianInheritanceLaw:Comparedto IsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Wolfgang Zankl RightofSuccessionoftheSpouseandtheRelatives-AComparative Analysis 255 Shmuel Shilo RightsofSuccession:SpouseversusRelativesinIsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Alfredo Mordechai Rabello OnGiftsandtheDayofDeath:Section8(b)oftheIsraeliSuccession Law5725-1965andtheDistinctionbetweenGifts inter vivosandGifts mortis causa 267 Codification Alfredo Mordechai Rabello WorkingTowardstheCodificationofIsraeliPrivateLaw:Between CommonandCivilLaw. . . . . . . . 291 List ofContributors Ricardo Ben-Oliel,Dr. Jur. (Jerusalem),AssociateProfessor,FacultyofLaw, UniversityofHaifa Franz Bydlinski,Dr. jur. (Graz),Dr. jur. h. . ~. (Salzburg;Munich),Professorof Law,UniversityofVienna;Member,OsterreichischeAkademiederWis senschaften;CorrespondingMember,AkademiederWissenschaftenzu GottingenandofthePolishAcademyofSciencesinCracow At/ita Fenyves,Dr. jur. (Graz),ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofVienna Daniel Friedmann,M. Jur. ,LL. M. ,Dr. Jur. ,ProfessorofLaw,TelAviv University;Member,IsraelAcademyofSciencesandHumanities Israel Gilead. LL. B. ,LL. D. ,BoraLaskinAssociateProfessorofTorts,The HebrewUniversityofJerusalem;RamatGanLawCollege Herbert Hausmaninger,Dr. jur. (Graz),ProfessorofLaw,Universityof Vienna;JohnA. EwaldDistinguishedVisitingProfessorofLaw,Univer sityofVirginia Helmut Koziol,Dr. jur. (Gr~z),ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofVienna; CorrespondingMember,OsterreichischeAkademiederWissenschaften; Director,EuropeanCenterofTortandInsuranceLaw Gideon Libson. LL. B,LL. M. ,Dr. Jur. ,FriedaandSolomonB.

This English translation makes available to anglophone readers a modern classic of German tort theory. It argues that modern German tort law is faced with doctrinal tensions based on problematic theoretical assumptions which stem from historical conceptions of tortious liability, inappropriate to modern times. From a theoretical perspective, it argues against the prevalent doctrinal view in Germany that conceives of tortious liability as split between two tracks - a fault-based track and a strict liability track - each with different normative foundations. Instead, Jansen asserts that there is no rigid distinction between the normative foundations of each form of liability. Rather, both fault liability and strict liability in German law, and indeed other European systems, are best considered as resting upon the unifying theoretical structure of outcome responsibility. The book thus places responsibility rather than wrongdoing at the centre of the normative foundations of tort law. Historically, the book traces in detail how conceptions of tort liability have changed from Roman law to contemporary legal doctrine. It shows how particular historical understandings of the normative basis of tort law have led to continuing normative tensions in contemporary doctrine. Finally, the book examines how a reconstruction of modern German - and, indeed, European - law as based upon outcome responsibility should affect its doctrinal structure. This book makes contributions to the study of the theory, history, and doctrinal structure of tort law. While drawing on and explaining German tort law, its comparative, theoretical, and historical analysis will be of interest to scholars in all legal systems.

Covers various European countries, Israel, South Africa, and the United States.

Pure economic loss is one of the most-discussed problems in the fields of tort and contract. This book takes a comparative approach to the subject, exploring the principles, policies and rules governing tortious liability for pure economic loss in a number of countries across the world including the USA, Canada, Japan, South Africa and Denmark.

This book examines how the judicialization of politics, and the politicization of courts, affect representative democracy, rule of law, and separation of powers. This volume critically assesses the phenomena of judicialization of politics and politicization of the judiciary. It explores the rising impact of courts on key constitutional principles, such as democracy and separation of powers, which is paralleled by increasing criticism of this influence from both liberal and illiberal perspectives. The book also addresses the challenges to rule of law as a principle, preconditioned on independent and powerful courts, which are triggered by both democratic backsliding and the mushrooming of populist constitutionalism and illiberal constitutional regimes. Presenting a wide range of case studies, the book will be a valuable resource for students and academics in constitutional law and political science seeking to understand the increasingly complex relationships between the judiciary, executive and legislature.

A historical examination of the liability of healthcare professionals in tort and other systems of compensation in various European countries.

Derived from the renowned multi-volume International Encyclopaedia of Laws, this convenient volume provides comprehensive analysis of the law affecting the physician-patient relationship in Austria. Cutting across the traditional compartments with which lawyers are familiar, medical law is concerned with issues arising from this relationship, and not with the many wider juridical relations involved in the broader field of health care law. After a general introduction, the book systematically describes law related to the medical profession, proceeding from training, licensing, and other aspects of access to the profession, through disciplinary and professional liability and medical ethics considerations and quality assurance, to such aspects of the physician-patient relationship as rights and duties of physicians and patients, consent, privacy, and access to medical records. Also covered are specific issues such as organ transplants, human medical research, abortion, and euthanasia, as well as matters dealing with the physician in relation to other health care providers, health care insurance, and the health care system. Succinct and practical, this book will prove to be of great value to professional organizations of physicians, nurses, hospitals, and relevant government agencies. Lawyers representing parties with interests in Austria will welcome this very useful guide, and academics and researchers will appreciate its comparative value as a contribution to the study of medical law in the international context.

The private law of the Member States of the European Union has become more and more 'European'. The fact that the European Union is making ever more use of directives as an instrument to achieve private law goals, is, in this context, not the most important development. Of much more substance is the fact that one increasingly realises that a uniform European private law has to be created, in one way or another, in the near future, if a truly common European market is to function at all. Over the last decade, Europe has witnessed the emergence of a vigorous debate about the need for and the feasibility of a future European ius commune in the field of private law. This book critically discusses this debate and provides a systematic overview of the various initiatives taken and describes the fragmentary European private law that already exists (by way of European directives, international conventions, etc.). In addition, the author aims at making a contribution to the debate by suggesting that the experience (good or bad) of the so-called 'mixed legal systems' is of great importance to the European private law venture and to the development of a uniform private law for Europe. This idea is supported by insights from Law & Economics and illustrated by South African law in particular. This idea of 'European private law as a mixed legal system' is then applied to the law of contracts, torts and property. This book takes up the challenge to give a critical examination on the various methods of creating this ius commune. A detailed table of contents, list of abbreviations, bibliography, table of cases and index complete the book and make it a valuable study for everyone interested in European private law.