
The author systematizes the numerous Supreme Court judgments concerning the principle of equality of cooperative members’ rights and obligations. The article
subordinates the views expressed in this jurisprudence to the general theses regarding the principle in question. This principle results from the legal norms of cooperative law, and exceptions to it are subject to the constitutional prohibition of discrimination. The principle of equality applies to the rights and obligations arising from membership and derivatives thereof. The legal norms establishing this principle and prohibiting discrimination on its basis constitute the statutory limit of freedom of contract. The principle of equality may also be understood in the directive sense when interpreting the provisions governing the rights and obligations of cooperative members.