Auditor's Liability and its Impact on the European Financial Markets

Cambridge Law Journal, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 62-68, 2008

7 Pages Posted: 2 Nov 2008

See all articles by Walter Doralt

Walter Doralt

University of Graz (Austria)

Alexander Hellgardt

Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance; University of Regensburg - Faculty of Law

Klaus J. Hopt

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Patrick C. Leyens

University of Bremen; Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Markus Roth

University of Marburg - Faculty of Law

Reinhard Zimmermann

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law

Date Written: March 1, 2008

Abstract

Statutory auditors serve as an integral device to safeguard confidence in European financial markets. The market for corporate auditing is highly concentrated. A collapse of one of the top four auditing firms could cause a severe lack in the availability of auditing services. In a 2007 Staff Working Paper the European Commission proposed to reform auditor liability and to protect auditing firms from catastrophic liability claims. This paper analyses the reform options suggested by the European Commission and pleads, in essence, for the following liability rules:

1. The company and its auditor may enter into an agreement limiting the amount of liability of the auditor in respect of any negligence occurring in the course of the audit, subject to approval by the general meeting of the audited company.

2. This limitation may not be set below a fair and reasonable amount. The definition of fair and reasonable should be laid down in a European framework, providing a set of basic criteria, including the sum of fees paid to the auditor and the size of the company.

3. If the amount of liability significantly deviates from what would be fair and reasonable, the court which decides on a damage claim against the auditor declares the agreement void.

4. In the assessment of the validity of the agreement, the court shall take into account the European framework basic criteria to be considered by the parties and additional factors such as auditor independence and the applicability of institutional and individual insurance excesses.

Keywords: auditor liability, liability cap, general meeting, auditor independence

JEL Classification: M49, K13, K22, K23

Suggested Citation

Doralt, Walter and Hellgardt, Alexander and Hellgardt, Alexander and Hopt, Klaus J. and Leyens, Patrick C. and Roth, Markus and Zimmermann, Reinhard, Auditor's Liability and its Impact on the European Financial Markets (March 1, 2008). Cambridge Law Journal, Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 62-68, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1293244

Walter Doralt

University of Graz (Austria) ( email )

Universitätsstrasse 15
(Zivilrecht)
Graz, 8010
Austria

HOME PAGE: http://zivilrecht.uni-graz.at/de/institut/wissenschaftliche-mitarbeiterinnen/prof-dr-walter-doralt

Alexander Hellgardt

Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance

Marstallplatz 1
Munich, 80539
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.tax.mpg.de/en/hellgardt_alexander.html

University of Regensburg - Faculty of Law ( email )

Universitätsstraße 31
Regensburg, 93053
Germany
+49-941-943-2641 (Phone)
+49-941-943-4985 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://hellgardt-en.ur.de/

Klaus J. Hopt

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law ( email )

Mittelweg 187
D-20148 Hamburg
Germany
+49 40 41 90 02 05 (Phone)
+49 40 41 90 03 02 (Fax)

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Patrick C. Leyens (Contact Author)

University of Bremen ( email )

Universitaetsallee GW I
Bremen, D-28334
Germany

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) - Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics ( email )

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
PO box 1738
Rotterdam, 3000 DR
Netherlands

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
Brussels
Belgium

Markus Roth

University of Marburg - Faculty of Law ( email )

Universitaetsstrasse 6
Marburg, D-35037
Germany

Reinhard Zimmermann

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law ( email )

Mittelweg 187
Hamburg, 20148
Germany

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