Introduction

Role of the parties

Role of judge

Contentious matters

Concept

Powers of the judge

Principle of adversarial proceedings

Non-contentious matters

Underlying principles of civil proceedings

Right to bring civil action

Abuse of the right to bring proceedings

Type of action

Concept of action

Interest in bringing proceedings

Standing

Rules governing action

Legal action

Initial claim

Counterclaim

Additional claim

Intervention

Incidental claim

Interruption of limitation period

Application to file suit (demande en justice)

Defense on the merits

Procedural objections (exceptions de procédure)

Procedural bars to admissibility (fins de non-recevoir)

Defenses

Nature of claim

Amount of the claim

Jurisdiction ratione materiae

Principles

Exceptional territorial jurisdiction

Extension of jurisdiction

Territorial jurisdiction

Competent court

Formal requirements

Substantive requirements

Presentation of the QPC (Question prioritaire de constitutionnalité)

Referral to Court of Cassation

Referral to Constitutional Council

Referral of the QPC

Investigation procedure

Conduct of hearing

Decision of the Constitutional Council

Proceedings before Constitutional Council

Priority question of constitutionality (QPC)

Simplified case preparation procedure

Participative procedure for case preparation purposes

Extra-judicial case preparation

Recourse to technical expert

Agreements on extra-judicial case preparation (mise en état)

Disclosure of exhibits

Production of documents

Exhibits

Common provisions for investigations

Rules specific to each investigation

Investigative measures

Disputes concerning private deeds (actes sous seing privé)

Forgery procedure against authentic instruments

Challenges to documentary evidence

Oath sworn as decisive evidence

Oath tendered by way of supplementation

Judicial oath

Administration of evidence

Hearings

Deliberations

Judgment

Formation

Judgment after adversarial proceedings

Judgment by default or judgment after trial

Contentious or non-contentious judgment

Judgment on the merits or provisional ruling (avant dire droit)

Combined judgment

Provisional judgment

Judgment in fast track proceedings

Types

Joinder and severance of proceedings

Interruption of proceedings

Suspension of proceedings

Discontinuance of proceedings (extinction)

Procedural incidents

Plea of lack of jurisdiction

Recusal/Dismissal for legitimate suspicion

Challenging the judge's competence

General rules

Voluntary intervention

Compulsory intervention

Joinder in proceedings (intervention)

Existence of a judgment

Same subject matter, cause, and parties

Authority of res judicata

General conditions of enforcement

Provisional enforcement

Grace period

Enforcement of the judgment

Bearing of costs

Order to pay non-recoverable costs

Verification/Recovery

Claims/Disputes

Costs and expenses

Ordinary remedies

Extraordinary remedies

Remedies

Judgments

Calculation of time-limits

Acts of judicial commissioners

Service of documents

Ordinary notification

Notification between lawyers

International notification

Place of notification

Notification

Communication by electronic means

Procedural acts

1. Ordinary Law of Civil Procedure

The definition of the subject matter of the dispute by the parties has the effect of binding the court, which “must rule on everything that is claimed and only on what is claimed” pursuant to Article 5 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Thus, a party cannot be ordered to benefit another who has not made any claim against them . In application of the principle that the subject matter of the dispute is determined by the respective claims of the parties, the court is required to examine the claims in the order set by them . In particular, it cannot examine a subsidiary claim before the principal claim . The court cannot modify the terms of the dispute at the risk of distorting the respective claims of the parties , nor the parties or their standing in the proceedings . It cannot introduce a factual argument that the parties have not raised . It is required to rule on the entirety of the dispute. In other words, it cannot rule either infra  or ultra petita . If the court exceeds the scope of the dispute, the parties have a right to appeal for rectification (Articles 463 and 464 CPC) .

Cass. 2e civ., 5 October 1983, No 82-14.161, LawLex202200005323JBJ4.

Cass. com., 12 May 1980, No 78-13.340, LawLex202200006687JBJ; Cass. soc., 10 December 2015, No 14-16.214, LawLex202200005432JBJ.

Cass. 3e civ., 11 May 2011, LawLex202200009688JBJ; Cass. 1e civ., 20 March 2014, LawLex201400002152JBJ.

Cass. 1re civ., 1 February 1978, No 76-13.340, LawLex202200005278JBJ; Cass. com., 8 May 1978, No 76-15.237, LawLex202200005408JBJ; Cass. 3e civ., 5 April 1978, No 76-14.655, LawLex202200005348JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 14 June 1978, No 77-10.459, LawLex202200005293JBJ; Cass. com., 12 June 1978, No 77-10.876, LawLex202200005410JBJ; 20 November 1978, No 77-11.410, LawLex202200005412JBJ; 29 January 1979, No 77-12.022, LawLex202200005417JBJ; Cass. com., 18 February 1980, No 78-12.923, LawLex202200005411JBJ; 25 February 1980, No 78-13.798, LawLex202200005413JBJ, Bull. civ. 1980, IV, No 93; 12 May 1980, No 78-13.340, LawLex202200006687JBJ; 7 January 1981, No 79-11.283, LawLex202200005407JBJ; 13 January 1981, No 79-11.339, LawLex202200005435JBJ; 27 January 1981, No 79-13.439, LawLex202200005416JBJ; 1 April 1981, No 79-14.703, LawLex202200005357JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 20 July 1982, No 81-14.312, LawLex202200005294JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 5 October 1983, No 82-14.161, LawLex202200005323JBJ; Cass. com., 26 February 1985, LawLex202200005414JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 12 May 1986, No 85-11.157, LawLex202200005332JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 22 November 1988, LawLex200500008948JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 8 February 1989, No 87-14.525, LawLex202200005326JBJ; 20 June 1990, LawLex202200005340JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 8 June 1994, LawLex202200005288JBJ; Cass. 3e civ., 14 January 2004, LawLex202200005350JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 21 October 2004, No 02-30.903, LawLex202200005342JBJ; 19 April 2005, LawLex202200005338JBJ; 18 March 2010, LawLex202200005429JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 20 March 2013, LawLex202200005426JBJ; 7 September 2022, No 21-16.254, LawLex202200009687JBJ.

Cass. com., 5 March 1980, No 78-13.452, LawLex202200005362JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 10 July 2003, No 01-13.179, LawLex202200005328JBJ; 16 October 2003, No 01-15.354, LawLex202200005335JBJ; 1 April 2004, No 02-14.864, LawLex202200005319JBJ.

Cass. com., 20 November 1978, No 77-11.410, LawLex202200005412JBJ.

Cass. 3e civ., 10 December 2008, No 07-19.320, LawLex202200005430JBJ.

Cass. com., 2 March 1976, No 74-12.489, LawLex202200005359JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 14 December 1982, No 80-15.278, LawLex202200005292JBJ; Cass. com., 2 May 1983, LawLex202200005358JBJ; Cass. soc., 2 October 1985, No 84-11.886, LawLex202200005418JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 5 May 1987, No 85-15.392, LawLex202200005284JBJ; Cass. soc., 27 March 1996, No 93-42.660, LawLex202200005424JBJ; Cass. civ. 1re, 5 April 2005, No 02-19.559, LawLex202200005283JBJ; Cass. com., 23 October 2024, LawLex202400008087JBJ.

Cass. 3e civ., 17 April 1984, No 83-11.133, LawLex202200005351JBJ.

Effect for court

12. Effect for court