DE | EN | RU

info@winheller.com+49 (0)69 76 75 77 80Mon. - Fri. from 8am to 8pm, Sat. from 8am to 5pm

Business Judgement Rule: 5 Basic Rules For Dutiful Action in Germany

Sep 30, 21 • ComplianceNo Comments
Business Judgement Rule: 5 Basic Rules For Dutiful Action in Germany

In the event of the disclosure of compliance violations, but also in the event of damages incurred within the company as a result of measures ordered or carried out by the company itself, board members or managing directors in Germany can sometimes be held personally liable by their own company. In a worst case scenario, this can threaten the existence not only of the company itself but also of the manager who has made the claim.

Standard for dutiful action

In the past, however, case law developed the business judgment rule, which was later incorporated into the statutory provisions of German stock corporation law. These provisions apply not only to the stock corporation, but also to the limited liability company (GmbH) and other forms of organization in Germany.

Five basic rules for dutiful action

According to this provision, managers or executives, by way of exception, may not be held liable for damages caused by their actions or omissions if they have acted in accordance with their duties. Concrete standards for dutiful conduct include:

  1. The existence of a business decision, i.e. a deliberate act or omission;
  2. the board or manager acted in good faith in the situation;
  3. the actions of the management board or managing director exclusively served the good of the company and thus the long-term strengthening of revenue and competitiveness;
  4. the decision was made on an appropriate information basis; a sufficient factual basis was created, the expertise of third parties (e.g. lawyers and/or tax advisors) was obtained if necessary and, in particular, a sufficient weighing of opportunities and risks for the company was carried out;
  5. the decision or measure was taken without the influence of extraneous interests or self-interest.

One of the reasons given for this “exemption model” is that entrepreneurial decisions in a market economy require a degree of freedom that cannot be controlled by the courts in order to be able to account for the dynamics of the market.

WINHELLER advises companies and NPOs on the business judgement rule

Do you need further information regarding the requirements of the business judgement rule in Germany and/or advice regarding the measures to be taken in the preliminary stage of a business decision to be made within your company? The experts at WINHELLER will gladly advise you. Please feel free to contact us at any time!

Continue reading:
Compliance: Avoiding Liability Traps in German Companies

Compliance Management Systems in Germany

Philipp Barring

Philipp J. Barring works at our offices in Frankfurt/Main and Munich and specializes in corporate law, M&A/company acquisitions, commercial law and compliance.

>> show profile

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

WINHELLER Blog via Newsletter

Subscribe to our free newsletter and receive regular updates on German business law by e-mail. (Mandatory fields are marked with *)

German Business Law News (4 times a year)
I would like to subscribe to the selected newsletter and for that purpose give my consent to WINHELLER to process my above mentioned data. I have read the "Information for Data Processing in the Newsletter Subscription". I understand that I can revoke my consent at any time with effect for the future by clicking the unsubscribe button within the newsletter. *