最高裁判所平成27年2月19日判決(民集69巻1号51頁)について再検討した。同判決は、非上場会社における新株発行の有利発行該当性について「客観的資料に基づく一応合理的な算定方法によって発行価額が決定されていたといえる」か否かにより判断することをを明らかにした(一応合理性基準)。下級裁判所も、この基準を援用して、新株予約権付社債の有利発行該当性について判断するもの(東京高判令和元年7月17日・判時2454号64頁など)があり、実務においてこの基準に沿った判断が重ねられつつある。学説では、この一応合理性基準についての評価は分かれる。有利発行該当性が問題になる局面としては、新株発行等差止め、取締役の会社法423条1項責任、取締役の同429条1項責任などが考えられる。しかし、有利発行についての取締役の責任を会社の損害発生(423条1項責任)と捉えるか株主の直接損害(429条1項責任)と捉えるかで、損害額は異なる。後者のように捉えることが有利発行の実体状況(新旧株主間の富の移転)と整合するのであって、前者のように捉えると、損害額は実体とは乖離し、大きな金額の会社への賠償を取締役に課す結果となる。これまでの裁判実務の傾向を振り返ってみても、423条1項責任の事案では、結論として責任が否定されたものがほとんどであった。423条1項責任を追及する事案では、有利発行の実体に整合的な責任追及がされていないことになり、しかも裁判所はこのことに自覚なく結論を導いている可能性がある。こうしたことから、研究代表者は、423条1項責任の事案を前提に提示された本判断基準を一般化するのは問題があると考えている。そのことを改めて指摘するとともに、本事案では発行価額を決定した取締役の利益相反状況にも注目すべきことを指摘した。
The Supreme Court's decision on February 19, 2015 (Minshu Vol. 69, No. 1, p. 51) was reexamined. The ruling clarified that the applicability of the issuance of new shares in an unlisted company will be judged based on whether or not "it can be said that the issue price was determined by a tentatively rational calculation method based on objective data." (Rationality standard). Inferior courts also use this standard to judge the applicability of advantageous issuance of bonds with stock acquisition rights. Judgments in line with this standard are being repeated. In the theory, the evaluation of this rationality standard is divided. Injunctions such as the issuance of new shares, the liability of directors under Article 423, Paragraph 1 of the Companies Act, and the liability of directors under Article 429, paragraph 1 can be considered as situations where the applicability of advantageous issuance becomes a problem. However, the amount of damage differs depending on whether the responsibility of the director for advantageous issuance is regarded as the occurrence of damages to the company (Article 423, Paragraph 1 liability) or the direct damages to shareholders (Article 429, Paragraph 1 liability). If you think of it as the latter, it is consistent with the actual situation of advantageous issuance (transfer of wealth between old and new shareholders), and if you think of it as the former, the amount of damages will deviate from the substance and will be sent to a large amount of company. The result is the imposition of compensation on the directors. Looking back on the trends in court practice so far, most of the cases of liability under Article 423, Paragraph 1 were denied liability as a conclusion. Article 423, Paragraph 1 In the case of pursuing liability, it means that the substance of advantageous issuance is not consistently pursued liability, and the court may have drawn a conclusion without being aware of this. For these reasons, the Principal Investigator considers that it is problematic to generalize this criterion presented on the premise of Article 423, Paragraph 1 Liability Case. He pointed out this again and pointed out that in this case, attention should be paid to the situation of conflict of interests of the directors who decided the issue price.
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