무권리자의 처분과 부당이득- 대법원 2022. 12. 29 선고 2019다272275 판결 - = Disposal by a Non-Entitled Party and Unjust Enrichment

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Korean Civil Code, unlike the civil codes of other countries, does not cover the issue of unjust enrichment when someone without the right to do so disposes of someone else’s property. As a result, Korean courts often make different decisions in similar cases, and the reasons given for these decisions sometimes seem insufficient. In a recent Supreme Court ruling (Supreme Court Decision 2019Da272275, delivered on December 29, 2022), this issue came up again, and although academics have discussed it from various perspectives, no clear answer has emerged. This article aims to examine this issue from another perspective, using the approach of Article 816 of the German Civil Code as a reference.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court rejected the claim for unjust enrichment based on two points: (1) since the original owner does not lose their rights when someone without entitlement sells the property, there is no harm to the owner; and (2) the sale proceeds are not a benefit that is directly related to the original owner's loss of ownership due to acquisitive prescription. However, (1) when the original owner loses ownership through acquisitive prescription, this can be seen as an “infringement” on their rights, and (2) the person who disposed of the property without rights gains a benefit by being freed from the obligation to transfer full ownership to the buyer. This benefit from debt relief should be subject to return as unjust enrichment.
German Civil Code specifically recognizes a type of unjust enrichment in cases involving an infringement (Article 816(1) of the German Civil Code). This raises the question of how Korean Civil Code, which lacks such a specific provision, should handle similar cases. Although Korean Civil Code does not include a provision like the one in German Civil Code, the outcome should probably be the same. A non-entitled disposer should be liable for damages to the original owner due to wrongful conduct and, if the original owner consents to the sale, should also return any gained benefit to the owner. Therefore, it seems reasonable for the original owner’s claim for restitution of unjust enrichment against the non-entitled disposer to be upheld in this case.

참고문헌 (Reference)

• 1 양창수, "판례평석 “매수인의 등기부취득시효 완성과 매도인에 대한 원소유자의 부당이득반환청구”"
• 2 곽윤직, "채권각론" 2014
• 3 김형배, "사무관리․부당이득" 2003
• 4 이병준 ; 정신동, "부당이득에서 급부, 침해 그리고 단순한 이익의 귀속 – 대법원 2010. 3. 11. 선고2009다98706 판결에 대한 평석 -" 27 (27): 2010
• 5 윤진수, "민법주해 제5권 물권(2)" 2011
• 6 윤진수, "민법기본판례" 2024
• 7 양창수, "무권리자의 처분에서 권리자의 물권적 청구권과 부당이득반환청구권의 긴장관계" 42 (42): 2001
• 8 김세준, "무권리자의 처분과 독일민법 제185조의 처분수권 : 대법원 2017. 6. 8. 선고 2017다3499판결" (104) : 2023
• 9 정구태, "등기부취득시효의 완성에 따른 부당이득반환 문제(이성범 교수의 발표에 대한 토론문)" 2023
• 10 이성범, "등기부취득시효의 완성에 따른 부당이득반환 문제 : 대법원 2022. 12. 29. 선고 판결에대하여" 40 (40): 2023
• 11 박영목, "등기부시효취득시 무권리처분자의 원소유자에 대한 부당이득 반환" (66) : 2023
• 12 "v. Caemmerer, Bereicherung und unerlaubte Handlung, FS Rabel, Bd. I"
• 13 Kornblum, "Zum Verhältnis von § 816 Abs. 2 zu § 812 BGB"
• 14 Bydlinski, "Zum Bereicherungsanspruch gegen den Unredlichen"
• 15 Rothoeft, "Vermögensverlust und Bereicherungsausgleich" 163 : 215-, 1963
• 16 Reuter, "Ungerechtfertigte Bereicherung"
• 17 Koppensteiner, "Ungerechtfertigte Bereicherung"
• 18 F. Schulz, "System der Rechte auf den Eingriffserwerb" 105 : 1-, 1909
• 19 "Staudinger/Lorenz, BGB § 816"
• 20 Esser, "SchuldR BT II"
• 21 Larenz, "SchuldR BT II"
• 22 "RGRK-BGB/Heimann-Trosien, Kommentar zum BGB"
• 23 "MüKoBGB/Schwab, BGB § 816"
• 24 "MüKoBGB/Lieb, BGB § 816"
• 25 "Jauernig/Stadler, BGB § 816"
• 26 Bauernfeind, "Herausgabe des Erlangten Zug um Zug gegen Genehmigung der Verfügung des Nichtberechtigten?"
• 27 Kellmann, "Grundsätze der Gewinnhaftung"
• 28 Reeb, "Grundprobleme des Bereicherungsrechts"
• 29 Staake, "Gesetzliche Schuldverhältnisse"
• 30 Medicus, "Gesetzliche Schuldverhältnisse"
• 31 Peifer, "Gesetzliche Schuldverhältnisse"
• 32 "Erman/Buck-Heeb, BGB § 816"
• 33 Feenstra, "Die ungerechtfertigte Bereicherung in dogmengeschichtlicher Sicht" 29 : 1972
• 34 Mugdan, "Die gesamten Materialien zum Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuch für das Deutsche Reich, Bd. 3"
• 35 Wilburg, "Die Lehre von der ungerechtfertigten Bereicherung nach österreichischem und deutschem Recht"
• 36 Jakobs, "Die Beratung des Bürgerlichen Gesetzbuchs, Recht der Schuldverhältnisse III, §§ 652 bis 853"
• 37 안병하 ; Horst Ehmann, "Causa 이론에 대하여 [Zur Causa-Lehre]" 52 : 2017
• 38 Medicus, "Bürgerliches Recht"
• 39 Buck-Heeb, "Besonderes Schuldrecht/2"
• 40 Medicus, "Besonderer Teil"
• 41 Loewenheim, "Bereicherungsrecht"
• 42 "BeckOK BGB/Wendehorst, 69. GB § 816"
• 43 "BeckOK BGB/Bub, 71. BGB § 184"
• 44 이병준 ; 김규완, "2022년도 민법 ｢채권편｣ 관련 주요 대법원 판례에 대한 평석" (66) : 2023