作者：张卫娟律师     2016-12-28

摘  要：2001年新《婚姻法》首次明确了夫妻离婚损害赔偿制度，但随着时代的发展和社会的进步，精神损害赔偿问题越来越凸显，其中，精神损害的定性判定及其赔偿额度的定量权衡成为最大困扰，基于多年来的具体案例实践，本文就为破解此类困扰作出尝试，借以抛砖引玉。

关键词：离婚 精神损害赔偿

夫妻平等原则是我国现行《中华人民共和国婚姻法》立法基础，不论是结婚还是离婚，平等原则是首要前提。当前，离婚率居高不下令人担忧，离婚纠纷中产生的财产组合和分割，损害赔偿和经济补偿等问题层出不穷，《中华人民共和国婚姻法》第40条明确指出：“夫妻书面约定婚姻关系存续期间所得的财产归各自所有，一方因抚育子女、照顾老人、协助另一方工作等付出较多义务的，离婚时可以向另一方请求补偿，另一方应当予以补偿。”但在实际离婚案例中，损害赔偿往往难以准确把握，特别是精神损害赔偿的度量更是令律师界头疼的一个棘手问题。

一、离婚精神损害概念界定

精神损害赔偿是权利主体因其人身权益受到不法侵害而使其遭受精神痛苦或精神利益受到损害而要求进行赔偿的民事权利。《民法学》认为：“精神损害是对民事主体精神活动的损害；与财产损害相比，精神损害的法律特征都与精神利益的无形性在关。这是上世纪继人身权、人格权以后登上历史舞台的又一重要角色，并陆续进入了各国的法典，我国现行民事法律对于精神损害赔偿没有明确规定，司法实践中由最高人民法院《关于确定民事侵权精神损害赔偿责任若干问题的解释》来规范。新《婚姻法》则首次明确规定了离婚无过错方的精神损害赔偿制度，最高人民法院关于适用《中华人民共和国婚姻法》若干问题的解释（一）（下称解释），正式明确了离婚损害赔偿包括物质损害赔偿和精神损害赔偿，这是精神损害赔偿的一个里程碑。按照通行法理，离婚精神损害赔偿作为经济补偿的重要环节，是指配偶一方违法侵害配偶他方的合法权益，导致婚姻关系破裂，离婚时对无过错配偶所受的精神利益的损害和精神创伤，过错配偶应承担的民事责任。

二、离婚精神损害请求权判定

侵权行为是我国请求损害赔偿的出发点，作为离婚损害赔偿的一个部分，我国新《婚姻法》有清晰的规定，第46条指出：离婚精神损害赔偿民事责任的构成，必须存在违法行为、有损害实事、有主观过错、有因果关系等四个要件、缺一不可。离婚精神损害赔偿作为一种特殊的侵权损害赔偿，请求权以《婚姻法》中对配偶权的规定以及《民法通则》中对人身权的规定的具体条文为基础。

一般来说，离婚的精神损害赔偿的发生，是因为侵害方实施了通奸、重婚、姘居、遗弃、虐待或谋杀受害方等明显过错行为，造成另一方精神上的痛苦或内心的创伤，继而引发感情完全破裂，离婚时，无过错方有权就其所受的精神损害要求过错方进行精神赔偿，使有过错一方受到经济上的制裁，有利于体现法律的公平，维护无过错方的合法权益。可见，实施离婚精神损害赔偿的一方或者权利主体必然是存在“有过错”，我国婚姻法也对离婚过错一方的损害赔偿作出了规定，虽然我国法律对“无过错”没有具体说明，但对四种违法行为的明确是判断是否存在“过错”基本依据。在实际的离婚损害赔偿中，提起离婚精神损害赔偿的请求权是无过错方的权利，之所以是其权利，也恰恰是过错方在夫妻关系续存时间存在对夫妻的配偶权、健康权、生命权等的侵害。这从《婚姻法》的第4条、第9条、第14条、第20条以及第46条等规定；解释第28条；最高人民法院《关于确定民事侵权精神损害赔偿责任若干问题的解释》第1条等条文中可以找到确切依据。

精神损害赔偿为侵权损害赔偿，作为损害赔偿的一分子，精神损害赔偿有其特殊性，这在《民法通则》第98条至第105条也有明确规定：离婚精神损害赔偿过错方因侵害了夫妻间的身份利益即配偶权和人格权，给无过错方造成精神伤害而应承担的民事责任。因此，离婚是离婚精神损害赔偿请求权发生的要件，解释第3条规定：“当事人仅以婚姻法第四条为依据提起诉讼的,，人民法院不予受理；已经受理的，裁定驳回起诉。”第29条规定：“人民法院判决不准离婚的案件，……在婚姻关系存续期间,当事人不起诉离婚而单独依据该条规定提起损害赔偿请求的，人民法院不予受理。”显然，如果不离婚，受害者就谈不上提出精神损害赔偿。

值得注意的是，在具体的离婚案例中，未成年子女是否拥有离婚精神损害赔偿的请求权是各界议论的热点，个人认为应该具体问题应该具体分析，关键是明确损害的主体，从上述可以看出，离婚精神损害赔偿是因一方婚内实施了法定违法行为，造成了无过错方精神的损害而应承但的民事责任，婚姻当事人是离婚精神损害赔偿请求权的主体和责任主体，未成年子女不宜作为离婚精神损害赔偿请求权的主体。但是，因离婚的事实发生，未成年子女也必然遭受了直接的损害，虽然不能拥有直接的请求权，但应该作为左右确定损害赔偿数额的重点因素。那么未成年之女就没有请求权吗，这也不尽然，按照民法通则的有关规定，如果发生未成年子女因家庭暴力、虐待、遗弃等造成的精神损害，未成年之女拥有侵权之诉权，以追究侵权人的民事责任。

三、离婚精神损害赔偿数额度量

离婚精神损害赔偿数额的确定一直各界争论的焦点，也是最难形成协调的议题，按照公平原则，赔偿等同于损害，那么确定损害数额是计算赔偿的前提，从损害利益角度来看，主要损害有：对身体健康生命侵害造成的直接财产损失；因身心遭受严重创伤对正常工作所产生收入的损失，单纯精神痛苦和其他精神利益损失。根据笔者的实践，综合考虑、坚持公平、灵活权衡是度量赔偿数额的可行之策。

1、过错程度或损害程度。对于前者，从众多案例可知，过错方因侵权的手段、场合的差异、侵权的次数及侵权的时间的不同，对受害方造成的伤害就有差别，其所应受到惩罚的程度也不同。一般来说，过错方明目张胆的重婚、同居或通奸，经受害方的多次警告却一意孤行，更有甚者，不仅不痛改前非，而且借机采用更加侮辱、暴力等手段殴打、遗弃受害人，这种损害显然百倍于采取潜伏、尚有良知心理的情况，毫无疑问，侵权方式越恶劣，持续时间越长，受害人造成的精神损害就越大，其赔偿数额的确定应相对高于一般家庭暴力。对于后者，情况也是因人因事而异，因人是指性别、年龄和脾气不同的人对伤害的承受能力和恢复能力是有区别的，即便受到相似的损害，产生的后果也千差万别，甚至截然不同。但基本的规律还是有章可循的，在性别方面，女性受到同等侵害时产生的精神痛苦要大于男性，在年龄方面，年轻的成年人的人比老年人更易从痛苦当中回复，在性格方面，很敏感、情感化、对爱情严肃专一的人更易受到伤害。这就要求具体案例具体分析，对案例本身和实施过错的种类、动机情节及损害的程度做全面深入的了解，才能把握判断过错程度的大局。

2、经济能力和认错态度。这涉及两个方面，对于侵害者来说，其实际的经济赔偿能力是个不容忽视的问题，如果对方无任何固定的经济来源，一贫如洗，再多的精神损害赔偿也是一句空话，何况超出“合理”往往也无法达成一致，当然，同一地区也不能一刀切，从事的职业不同，收入也自然高低不平，绝对达不到字面上的平等，如果无视论过错方的经济能力如何，按其他类似案例进行赔偿数额认定，对于有钱人来说，显然是微不足道，这等同于他以支付很少的对价得到同等的伤害、侮辱、虐待对方的目的，对方自然无法获得心理上的抚慰，离婚损害赔偿的就形同虚设，相反，经济承受能力差面对巨额的赔偿金生活就难以为继，也不可能在离婚上达成一致，维持现状势必影响生活品质。对于受害者而言，一定数额的赔偿金与其自身的经济能力状况息息相关，较有积累并预期收入丰者，赔偿数额显然只是一种嘲讽；反之，如果本来家庭的收入就依赖侵害方，离婚后，受害人自身经济状况必然窘迫，数额不足的损害赔偿数额，给受害人及子女以后的生活影响是举足轻重的，精神损害的赔偿金就应做相应的调整。此外，态度的作用也不容忽视，一般来说，如果侵害方积极主动承认并愿意接受赔偿的，相对于采取了赔礼道歉，受害人因之而心理慰籍往往会网开一面，否则，如果侵害方态度蛮横，无悔过之意，受害人势必更加痛苦，要价自然不会“便宜”对方。因此，在确定精神损害赔偿金时，要考虑到过错方态度的因素。

总之，离婚精神损害赔偿作为离婚的要件之一，其地位和作用非同小可，随着时代发展和民众觉悟的提高，精神损害的判定及其损害赔偿数额的权衡显得越加至关重要，离婚精神损害赔偿最终表达的是让侵害方承担侵害成本，这既对无视配偶利益、违反婚姻义务和婚姻行为准则行为的告诫、谴责和惩戒，对社会公众，也有警示辐射作用，对维护婚姻家庭的稳定、构筑和谐社会意义深远。

参考文献

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Author: Lawyer Zhang Weijuan, December 28, 2016

Abstract: In 2001, the new Marriage Law first clarified the system of compensation for damages caused by divorce between spouses. However, with the development of the times and the progress of society, the issue of compensation for mental damage has become increasingly prominent. Among them, the qualitative determination of mental damage and the quantitative balance of compensation amount have become the biggest obstacle. Based on years of specific case practice, this article makes an attempt to solve such problems, in order to throw bricks and attract jade.

Keywords: Divorce Mental Damage Compensation

The principle of equality between husband and wife is the legislative basis of the current Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China. Whether it is marriage or divorce, the principle of equality is the primary prerequisite. Currently, the high divorce rate is a cause for concern, as problems such as property combination and division, damage compensation, and economic compensation arise in divorce disputes, Article 40 of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China clearly states: "The spouses agree in writing that the property obtained during the marriage relationship shall belong to each other. If one party pays more obligations for raising children, taking care of the elderly, assisting the other party in work, etc., they can request compensation from the other party at the time of divorce, and the other party should provide compensation. However, in actual divorce cases, compensation for damages is often difficult to accurately grasp, Especially the measurement of mental damage compensation is a thorny issue that troubles the legal profession.

1、 Definition of the Concept of Mental Damage in Divorce

Mental damage compensation is a civil right of the right subject to demand compensation for mental pain or damage to their mental interests caused by illegal infringement of their personal rights. The Civil Law Journal believes that "spiritual damage is damage to the spiritual activities of civil subjects; compared to property damage, the legal characteristics of spiritual damage are related to the invisibility of spiritual interests. This is another important role that emerged on the historical stage in the last century after personal rights and personality rights, and has gradually entered the codes of various countries. China's current civil laws do not have clear provisions for compensation for spiritual damage, and in judicial practice, the Supreme People's Court Interpretations on Several Issues Concerning the Determination of Compensation Liability for Mental Damage in Civil Torts. The new Marriage Law clearly stipulates for the first time the system of mental damage compensation for the innocent party in divorce. The Supreme People's Court's Interpretation (1) on Several Issues Concerning the Application of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Interpretation) officially clarifies that divorce damage compensation includes material damage compensation and mental damage compensation, which is a milestone in mental damage compensation. According to common legal principles, compensation for mental damage caused by divorce, as an important part of economic compensation, refers to the civil liability that a spouse who violates the legitimate rights and interests of the other spouse, resulting in the breakdown of the marital relationship, and the damage and trauma to the mental interests and mental trauma suffered by the innocent spouse during divorce.

2、 Determination of the Right to Claim for Mental Damage in Divorce

Tort behavior is the starting point for China's request for compensation for damages. As a part of divorce compensation for damages, China's new Marriage Law has clear provisions. Article 46 states that the composition of civil liability for divorce mental damage compensation must include four essential elements: illegal behavior, actual damage, subjective fault, and causal relationship. As a special form of infringement compensation, the right to claim compensation for divorce mental damage is based on the provisions on spouse rights in the Marriage Law and the specific provisions on personal rights in the General Principles of Civil Law.

Generally speaking, the occurrence of compensation for mental damage in divorce is due to the perpetrator's obvious wrongdoing such as adultery, bigamy, cohabitation, abandonment, abuse, or murder of the victim, causing mental pain or inner trauma to the other party, leading to complete emotional breakdown. At the time of divorce, the innocent party has the right to demand mental compensation from the wrongdoing party for the mental damage suffered, causing the wrongdoing party to be subject to economic sanctions, It is conducive to reflecting the fairness of the law and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of the innocent party. It can be seen that the party or right subject who implements compensation for mental damages in divorce must have "fault". China's Marriage Law also stipulates the compensation for damages to the party who is at fault in divorce. Although China's law does not specify "no fault", the clarity of the four illegal behaviors is the basic basis for determining whether there is "fault". In actual divorce damage compensation, the right to request compensation for divorce mental damage is the right of the innocent party, and the reason why it is its right is precisely because the fault party infringes on the spouse's rights, health rights, life rights, and other rights of the couple during the continuation of the marital relationship. This is stipulated in Articles 4, 9, 14, 20, and 46 of the Marriage Law; Interpretation of Article 28; The exact basis can be found in articles such as Article 1 of the Interpretation of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Determination of Liability for Mental Damage Compensation in Civil Torts.

Spiritual damage compensation is a compensation for infringement damages, and as a part of the compensation for damages, it has its particularity. This is also clearly stipulated in Articles 98 to 105 of the General Principles of the Civil Law: the fault party of divorce mental damage compensation shall bear civil liability for causing mental harm to the innocent party due to infringing on the identity interests of the husband and wife, namely spouse rights and personality rights. Therefore, divorce is a necessary condition for the occurrence of the right to claim compensation for mental damage caused by divorce, Article 3 of the interpretation stipulates: "If a party files a lawsuit solely based on Article 4 of the Marriage Law, the people's court shall not accept it; if it has already been accepted, the court shall rule to dismiss the lawsuit." Article 29 stipulates: "In cases where the people's court has ruled that divorce is not allowed... during the existence of the marriage relationship, if the party does not file a lawsuit for divorce and separately files a claim for damages in accordance with this provision, the people's court shall not accept it, The victim cannot claim compensation for mental damage.

It is worth noting that in specific divorce cases, whether underage children have the right to request compensation for divorce mental damage is a hot topic of discussion from all walks of life. I personally believe that specific issues should be analyzed in detail, and the key is to clarify the subject of the damage. From the above, it can be seen that divorce mental damage compensation is a civil liability that should be borne due to one party's legal illegal behavior during marriage, causing damage to the spirit of the innocent party, The parties to the marriage are the subject and responsible party of the right to claim compensation for mental damage caused by divorce, and underage children should not be the subject of the right to claim compensation for mental damage caused by divorce. However, due to the fact of divorce, underage children also inevitably suffer direct damages. Although they cannot have direct claims, they should be a key factor in determining the amount of compensation for damages. So do underage daughters have no right to claim? This is not entirely true. According to the relevant provisions of the General Principles of Civil Law, if there is mental damage caused by domestic violence, abuse, abandonment, etc. of underage children, underage daughters have the right to sue for infringement, in order to pursue the civil liability of the infringer.

3、 Measurement of Compensation Amount for Spiritual Damage in Divorce

The determination of the amount of compensation for mental damage caused by divorce has always been a focus of debate and the most difficult issue to coordinate. According to the principle of fairness, compensation is equivalent to damage, so determining the amount of damage is a prerequisite for calculating compensation. From the perspective of damaging interests, the main damages include: direct property loss caused by infringement on personal health and life; The loss of income generated by normal work due to severe physical and mental trauma, as well as the loss of pure mental pain and other mental benefits. Based on the author's practice, comprehensive consideration, adherence to fairness, and flexible balancing are feasible strategies for measuring the amount of compensation.

1. The degree of fault or damage. For the former, it can be seen from numerous cases that the fault party causes different injuries to the injured party due to differences in the means and occasions of infringement, the frequency of infringement, and the time of infringement, and the degree of punishment they should receive also varies. Generally speaking, the wrongdoing party's blatant bigamy, cohabitation, or adultery, despite multiple warnings from the victim, is determined to act recklessly. In some cases, they not only do not change their past wrongs, but also take advantage of more insulting, violent, and other means to beat or abandon the victim. This kind of damage is obviously hundreds of times greater than the use of hidden and conscientious circumstances. Undoubtedly, the worse the infringement method, the longer the duration, the greater the mental damage caused by the victim, The determination of compensation amount should be relatively higher than that of general domestic violence. For the latter, the situation also varies from person to person. People with different genders, ages, and temperaments have different abilities to withstand and recover harm. Even if they suffer similar damage, the consequences can vary greatly, even if they are completely different. But the basic rules still have rules to follow. In terms of gender, women are more likely to experience mental pain when subjected to equal harm than men. In terms of age, young adults are more likely to recover from pain than elderly people. In terms of personality, people who are sensitive, emotional, and serious about love are more susceptible to harm. This requires a detailed analysis of specific cases, a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the types, motivations, and damages of the case itself and the implementation of the fault, in order to grasp the overall situation of judging the degree of fault.

2. Economic ability and attitude towards admitting mistakes. This involves two aspects. For the infringer, their actual economic compensation ability is an issue that cannot be ignored. If the other party has no fixed source of income and is destitute, any amount of compensation for mental damage is also empty talk. Moreover, beyond "reasonable" limits, it is often impossible to reach a consensus. Of course, the same region cannot be cut across all, and different professions lead to uneven income levels, which cannot achieve literal equality, If we ignore the economic capacity of the wrongdoing party and determine the amount of compensation based on other similar cases, it is obviously insignificant for wealthy people. This is equivalent to the purpose of receiving equal harm, insult, or abuse from the other party by paying very little consideration. The other party naturally cannot obtain psychological comfort, and the compensation for divorce damages is meaningless. On the contrary, the poor economic capacity makes it difficult to sustain life in the face of huge compensation, It is also impossible to reach a consensus on divorce, and maintaining the status quo will inevitably affect the quality of life. For victims, a certain amount of compensation is closely related to their own economic capacity, and for those who have accumulated and expect high income, the compensation amount is clearly just a mockery; On the contrary, if the family's income originally depends on the victim, after divorce, the victim's own economic situation will inevitably be in dire straits. The insufficient amount of compensation for damages will have a significant impact on the victim and their children's future lives, and the compensation for mental damage should be adjusted accordingly. In addition, the role of attitude cannot be ignored. Generally speaking, if the aggrieved party actively acknowledges and is willing to accept compensation, the victim's psychological comfort will often be lenient compared to apologizing. Otherwise, if the aggrieved party's attitude is overbearing and shows no remorse, the victim will inevitably suffer even more, and the asking price will naturally not be "cheap" to the other party. Therefore, when determining the compensation for mental damage, the attitude of the wrongdoing party should be taken into account.

In short, as one of the essential elements of divorce, compensation for mental damage in divorce has a significant position and role. With the development of the times and the improvement of public awareness, the determination of mental damage and the balance of the amount of compensation for mental damage have become increasingly crucial. The ultimate manifestation of compensation for mental damage in divorce is to make the infringing party bear the cost of infringement. This not only serves as a warning, condemnation, and punishment for behavior that disregards the interests of the spouse, violates marital obligations, and norms of marital behavior, It also has a warning radiation effect on the public, and has profound significance in maintaining the stability of marriage and family, and building a harmonious society.

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