gmbh-geschaeftsfuehrerhaftung

/gesellschaftsrecht:gmbh-geschaeftsfuehrerhaftung

Purpose

The liability of the GmbH managing director is the most common high-risk mandate in corporate law: internal liability toward the company, external liability in the crisis, criminal insolvency delay. This skill identifies legal grounds and lines of defense.

Inputs

• Position (sole managing director, multi-member management, liquidator)
• Claimant (company, shareholder, insolvency administrator, creditor, tax office, social insurance)
• Breach of duty (specifically: payment in the crisis, risky investment, violation of compliance program, unsecured loan granting)
• Temporal situation (before / after occurrence of illiquidity or overindebtedness)
• D&O insurance present?

Procedure

1. Order of legal grounds

Internal relationship:

1. § 43 (2) GmbHG — damages for breach of duty toward the company (diligence of a prudent businessman, § 43 (1))
2. § 43 (3) GmbHG — joint and several liability of multiple managing directors
3. § 64 sentence 1 GmbHG / § 15b InsO — reimbursement of payments after occurrence of insolvency maturity
4. § 31 GmbHG — reimbursement of prohibited distributions (share capital violation)
5. § 30 GmbHG — prohibition of distribution

External relationship:

1. § 15a (1) InsO — obligation to file for insolvency (3 weeks from illiquidity, 6 weeks from overindebtedness)
2. § 823 (2) BGB in conjunction with § 15a InsO — external liability for insolvency delay toward new creditors
3. § 64 sentence 3 GmbHG / § 15b (5) InsO — reimbursement of payments that led to illiquidity
4. § 69 AO — tax liability of the managing director
5. § 28e (1) SGB IV — social insurance contributions

2. Mandatory program (§ 43 (1) GmbHG)

Diligence of a prudent businessman. Business Judgment Rule in GmbH law by analogy to § 93 (1) sentence 2 AktG (BGH, ARAG/Garmenbeck): exemption from liability if

• in an entrepreneurial decision
• on an adequate basis of information
• without special interests
• acted for the benefit of the company

3. Crisis liability (§ 64 GmbHG old version → § 15b InsO since StaRUG implementation 2021)

After occurrence of illiquidity (§ 17 InsO) or overindebtedness (§ 19 InsO), payments from the company's assets are prohibited if they reduce the insolvency estate. Exception: payments that are compatible with the diligence of a prudent businessman (maintenance of business operations within the filing period).

4. Obligation to file for insolvency (§ 15a InsO)

• 3 weeks from insolvency (Section 17 InsO)
• 6 weeks from overindebtedness (Section 19 InsO)
• Criminal liability under Section 15a(4) InsO for intent, (5) for negligence
• Liability to new creditors under Section 823(2) BGB in conjunction with Section 15a InsO

5. Defense strategies

• Business Judgment Rule (see above)
• Discharge by shareholders (Section 46 No. 5 GmbHG)
• Statute of limitations (Section 43(4) GmbHG: 5 years)
• D&O insurance — review coverage requirements
• Contributory negligence of the company (Section 254 BGB)
• Burden of proof: Company bears the burden of proof for breach of duty and damage; the managing director bears the burden of proof for observance of due care (BGH, judgment of 04.11.2002 – II ZR 224/00, NJW 2003, 358 [unverifiziert – prüfen])

Sources

Statute

• Section 43 GmbHG, Section 64 GmbHG
• Section 30 GmbHG, Section 31 GmbHG
• Section 15a InsO, Section 15b InsO, Section 17 InsO, Section 19 InsO
• Section 823(2) BGB
• Section 69 AO, Section 34 AO
• Section 93 AktG (analogously)

Commentaries

• Altmeppen, GmbHG, 11th ed. 2023, Section 43 marginal no. 1 et seq.
• Fleischer, in: MüKoGmbHG, 4th ed. 2022, Section 43 marginal no. 1 et seq.
• Karsten Schmidt / Lutter, AktG, 4th ed. 2020, Section 93 marginal no. 1 et seq.

Case law

• BGH, judgment of 21.04.1997 – II ZR 175/95, NJW 1997, 1926 ("ARAG/Garmenbeck", BJR) [unverifiziert – prüfen]
• BGH, judgment of 04.11.2002 – II ZR 224/00, NJW 2003, 358 (burden of proof) [unverifiziert – prüfen]
• BGH, judgment of 16.03.2009 – II ZR 280/07, NJW 2009, 2127 (Section 64 GmbHG old version) [unverifiziert – prüfen]

Output format

GF-HAFTUNGS-PRÜFUNG — <Mandat> — <Datum>

I.    Anspruchsgrundlage              [§§ 43, 64 GmbHG / § 15a InsO / § 823]
II.   Zeitliche Einordnung            [vor / in / nach Krise]
III.  Pflichtverletzung                Tatbestand: <…>
                                       Verschulden: <…>
IV.   Business Judgment Rule           [✅ / ❌ — Begründung]
V.    Schaden / Höhe                   <…>
VI.   Verteidigung
      - Entlastung § 46 Nr. 5          [vorhanden / nicht]
      - Verjährung § 43 Abs. 4         [eingetreten / nicht]
      - D&O                            [Deckung / nicht]
      - Mitverschulden § 254           [möglich / nicht]
VII.  Strafrechtliches Risiko § 15a Abs. 4, 5 InsO  [🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴]

Empfehlung: <…>

Risks / typical mistakes

• Insolvency application deadline under Section 15a InsO overlooked → criminal liability, personal liability to new creditors.
• Payments in the crisis without review against Section 15b InsO → personal reimbursement obligation.
• "Discharge by shareholders" assumed, although the resolution formally did not cover the factually relevant circumstances → no exemption from liability.
• D&O coverage regarded as a sure thing → exclusions (intentional breach of duty, delaying insolvency) must be reviewed individually.
• Tax representative liability under Section 69 AO forgotten without remitting wage tax in the crisis.