계약 체결 또는 갱신 방해의 불법행위 성부- 대법원 2007. 5. 11. 선고 2004다11162 판결-

The Tort of Interference with Contract Relations

우리 대법원은 제3자가 계약 체결을 방해한 행위를 제3자의 채권침해의 한 유형으로 평가하여, 제3자의 해의 등의 요건의 존재를 전제로 불법행위의 성립을 인정하였다. 그러나 제3자가 계약 체결 또는 갱신을 방해한 행위는 그 본질상 이미 성립되어 있는 채 권을 침해한다기보다는 채권을 발생시키기 위하여 거래를 성사시키려는 업무를 방해하 는 것이고, 우리 민법상 불법행위가 성립하기 위하여 반드시 어떠한 권리가 침해될 필 요는 없다. 따라서 제3자가 계약 체결 또는 갱신을 방해한 행위를 기존의 제3자에 의한 채권침해의 한 유형으로 보고 그에 따른 법리구성을 하기보다는 업무방해에 의한 불법 행위의 일종으로 보아, 일반적인 불법행위의 성립요건 즉 고의, 과실, 위법성, 인과관계, 손해발생 등을 충족하는지 여부로 손해배상책임의 성립요건 충족 여부를 판단함이 옳다.

Recently, it seems that the Supreme Court has adopted slightly different approaches from those applied to the general tort cases when a contract relations existing between two persons was interfered with by a third party. Inducement, it was held, would lie in specific situations, in all of which not only the intervener must know of the existence of a contract between A and B and must act with the object of procuring its breach by A to the damage of B, but also the intervener must know the action in itself is unlawful, which the Supreme Court called "malicious intention," which is not required under the general tort cases. However, there is no justification that the actionable infringement with contract relations by a third party should be taken care of under the different rules unlike in the general tort cases. It is not clear from where the Supreme Court drew the concept of "malicious intention" under laws, either. Therefore, in my opinion, the tort of interference with contract relations should be classified into one form of the general tort cases. It is right that when a breach was caused by inducing one of the parties to a contract to break his contract by a third party the plaintiff may bring a general tort claim establishing the general requirements for the tort under the Article 750 under Civil Law, that is, the defendant (the intervener) had disturbed plaintiff's affairs on purpose or negligence and the act in itself is unlawful and there is damage as a result of the defendant's act.