Joint lawsuit - Kyodososho

Japanese: 共同訴訟 - きょうどうそしょう

A joint lawsuit is a form of litigation in which there are multiple plaintiffs or defendants, or both, in a single proceeding. When the lawsuits of multiple people are somehow related, a single proceeding, i.e., common oral arguments and evidence examination, allows the court to reach a common understanding of common issues and facts, and is also economical for the parties and the court, so a joint lawsuit hearing method has been established. Therefore, a joint lawsuit is permitted when there is an expected benefit to having a common hearing. In other words, a joint lawsuit is permitted when there is some kind of relationship between the rights and obligations of the people who are to be joint plaintiffs, specifically in the following cases:

(1) When the right or obligation that is the subject of the litigation is common to several persons, such as when a co-owner asserts the right to demand the delivery of shared property.

(2) When the rights or obligations that are the subject of the lawsuit are based on the same factual and legal causes, such as when several victims of a traffic accident claim damages from the tortfeasor.

(3) When the rights or obligations which are the subject of the lawsuit are of the same kind and based on the same causes in fact and in law, such as when a landlord seeks rent from several tenants.

In addition, since several cases are tried in one procedure, the requirements for the consolidation of lawsuits must be met, i.e., the litigation procedures for each claim must be of the same type, and the court in question must have jurisdiction over each claim. Furthermore, joint lawsuits are classified into ordinary joint lawsuits and mandatory joint lawsuits (also called consolidated lawsuits) based on the relationship between the claims. This distinction is made based on whether or not different judgments can be made for each joint plaintiff.

[Yoshinobu Homma]

Regular joint litigation

A regular joint lawsuit is a joint lawsuit in which the claims of each joint plaintiff are separate and independent, and each may file a lawsuit separately, and the judgments may also be separate. For example, if a creditor files a lawsuit against several joint debtors, the judgment does not have effect on the joint debtors, so the judgments may be different, and it is a regular joint lawsuit. In this case, the joint plaintiffs are independent of each other, and the actions of each person or against each person, or matters that arise with respect to one of the joint plaintiffs, do not affect the other joint plaintiffs (principle of independence of joint plaintiffs; Civil Procedure Act, Article 39).

Also, for example, in a lawsuit in which the parties to a loan contract and their agent are both defendants, and the plaintiff seeks the return of the loan from the parties to the contract and the return of unjust enrichment from the agent for making a contract under the pretense of having no power of agency when in fact he did not, this is usually a joint lawsuit, but if the transfer of money is recognized, the plaintiff should be able to win against one of the defendants. However, if the lawsuits against both parties are filed separately, the court's judgments on each party may differ, and both parties may lose. To avoid this, the lawsuits against both parties must be heard and adjudicated in the same procedure. In such cases where the rights of the co-defendants against one party and the rights of the co-defendants against the other party are in a legally incompatible relationship, if the plaintiff requests, the oral argument and trial must be conducted without separation (this request is called a "request for simultaneous trial"). This request may be made until the conclusion of oral argument in the appellate court. In the above case, if the appeal cases against each of the co-defendants are pending separately in the same appellate court, the oral argument and trial must be conducted together.

[Yoshinobu Homma]

Mandatory joint action

A mandatory joint lawsuit is a joint lawsuit in which the same judgment must be made against all joint plaintiffs because the effect of a judgment made by one of the joint plaintiffs extends to the other joint plaintiffs.

There are two types of such lawsuits: similar necessary joint lawsuits and inherent necessary joint lawsuits. Similar necessary joint lawsuits are cases where not all potential parties need to be present, such as a lawsuit to annul a shareholders' meeting resolution filed by several shareholders. In inherent necessary joint lawsuits, a lawsuit is deemed improper if not all potential parties are present, such as a lawsuit to nullify a marriage filed by a third party against a married couple. In these necessary joint lawsuits, the content of the judgment must be the same for each joint plaintiff, so the progress of the lawsuit and the litigation materials must be the same for each person, and therefore the litigation actions of one joint plaintiff are effective only for the benefit of all, and the litigation actions of the opposing party against one of the joint plaintiffs are effective against all. The lawsuit can also be suspended or discontinued for all parties (Civil Procedure Act, Article 40).

A joint lawsuit is established by filing the lawsuit as a joint lawsuit from the beginning, and it can also arise retroactively after the pendency of a single lawsuit through succession, participation or assumption of a lawsuit, or consolidation of arguments.

[Yoshinobu Homma]

[Reference] | Lawsuit | Joining a lawsuit

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

一つの訴訟手続で原告または被告あるいはその双方が複数である訴訟形態をいう。複数の者の訴訟がなんらかの関連性をもっている場合には、一つの手続で、すなわち口頭弁論や証拠調べを共通にしたほうが共通の争点や事実について裁判所が共通の認識を得ることができるし、当事者および裁判所にとって訴訟経済にもなるので、共同訴訟の審理方式が設けられている。したがって、共同訴訟は、審理を共通にすることによる利点が期待できるときに認められる。すなわち、共同訴訟人となるべき者の権利・義務相互間になんらかの関連性のある場合であって、具体的には以下の場合に共同訴訟が認められる。

(1)共有者が共有物の引渡しを求める権利を主張する場合のように、訴訟の目的たる権利または義務が数人について共通であるとき。

(2)一つの交通事故における数人の被害者が加害者に損害賠償請求をする場合のように、訴訟の目的たる権利または義務が同一の事実上および法律上の原因に基づくとき。

(3)家主が数人の借家人に対してそれぞれ家賃の支払いを求める場合のように、訴訟の目的たる権利または義務が同種であり、かつ事実上および法律上同種の原因に基づくとき。

　また、一つの手続で数個の事件を審理するのであるから、訴えの併合に関する要件、すなわち、各人の請求についての訴訟手続が同種のものであること、受訴裁判所が各請求につき管轄を有すること、などの要件が備わっていることが必要である。さらに共同訴訟は請求相互の関係により、通常共同訴訟と必要的共同訴訟（合一確定訴訟ともいう）とに分類される。この区別は、各共同訴訟人につき異なる内容の判決をなしうるか否かを基準にして行われる。

［本間義信］

通常共同訴訟

通常共同訴訟とは、各共同訴訟人の請求が別個独立でそれぞれ別々に訴えを提起できるし、判決も別個であってよい共同訴訟をいう。たとえば、債権者が数人の連帯債務者を被告として訴えを提起する場合、判決の効力は連帯債務者相互に及ばないから、判決はまちまちであってよく、通常共同訴訟である。この場合、共同訴訟人は互いに独立しており、各人の、または各人に対する訴訟行為、共同訴訟人の1人につき生じた事項は、他の共同訴訟人に影響を及ぼさない（共同訴訟人独立の原則。民事訴訟法39条）。

　また、たとえば金銭消費貸借の契約当事者とその代理人を共同被告とする訴訟で、契約当事者に対し貸金の返還を求めるとともに、代理人に対し、本当は代理権がないのに、あると称して契約をした無権代理の場合の不当利得返還を求める場合、通常共同訴訟であるが、金銭の授受が認められれば、原告は被告のどちらかに勝てるはずである。しかし、両者に対する訴訟が別々に行われると、それぞれに対する裁判所の判断が異なり、両者に敗訴してしまう可能性がある。これを避けるためには、両者に対する訴訟を同一の手続で審理・判決する必要がある。このように共同被告の一方に対する権利と他方に対する権利が法律上両立しえない関係にある場合に、原告の申出があれば、弁論および裁判は分離しないで行わなければならない（この申出を「同時審判の申出」という）。この申出は、控訴審の口頭弁論の終結のときまでできる。前記の場合において、共同被告の各人に対する控訴事件が同一の控訴裁判所に別々に係属するときは、弁論および裁判は併合して行わなければならない。

［本間義信］

必要的共同訴訟

必要的共同訴訟とは、共同訴訟人の1人の受けた判決の効力が他の共同訴訟人にも及ぶ関係から、共同訴訟人の全員につき同一内容の判決をしなければならない共同訴訟をいう。

　これには類似必要的共同訴訟と固有必要的共同訴訟との2種がある。類似必要的共同訴訟とは、数人の株主の提起した株主総会決議取消しの訴えのように、当事者たりうる者が全員そろわなくてもよい場合である。固有必要的共同訴訟とは、第三者が夫婦を共同被告として起こす婚姻無効の訴えのように、当事者たりうる者が全員そろわなければ訴えが不適法とされる場合である。これらの必要的共同訴訟では各共同訴訟人につき判決内容が同一でなければならないから、訴訟の進行や、訴訟資料が各人につき共通でなければならず、したがって共同訴訟人の1人の訴訟行為は、全員の利益においてのみ効力を生じ、1人に対する相手方の訴訟行為は、全員に対して効力を生ずる。訴訟の中断・中止も全員につき生ずる（民事訴訟法40条）。

　共同訴訟は、当初から共同訴訟として訴えを提起することによって成立するし、単一の訴えの係属後も、受継、訴訟参加・引受け、弁論の併合によって事後的にも生ずる。

［本間義信］

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