Shareholders' Claims for Reflective Loss: A Comparative Legal Analysis

Abstract

If a company is harmed by the behaviour of a third party, shareholders may suffer the economic consequences in the form of a reduction in the value of their shares. This article, taking a comparative law perspective, answers the question whether shareholders should be able to claim such a loss that is merely reflective of the company's loss. The basic rule is that a direct claim by the shareholder is not allowed; the company should claim damages. Exceptions to this ‘no reflective loss’ principle in jurisprudence of the UK, the Netherlands and the European Court of Human Rights are analysed. There appear to be two necessary conditions for an exception: (i) the shareholder must have an independent cause of action, and (ii) the reflective loss needs to be certain, i.e., it is certain that the shareholder will not be compensated indirectly through a lawsuit against the wrongdoer by or on behalf of the company. Several specific cases that satisfy these conditions are discussed. It is submitted that awarding damages to the shareholder personally can be justifiable and a derivative suit is usually not a good alternative to protect the injured shareholder in these cases.