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

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure, “the subject matter of the dispute is determined by the respective claims of the parties” and is set out in the initiating document and in the defense submissions . It may be modified during the proceedings by incidental claims sufficiently linked to the original claims (Art. 4, para. 2, CPC) . However, while traditionally case law has consider …

Determination by the parties

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure, “the subject matter of the dispute is determined by the respective claims of the parties” and is set out in the initiating document and in the defense submissions . It may be modified during the proceedings by incidental claims sufficiently linked to the original claims (Art. 4, para. 2, CPC) . However, while traditionally case law has considered that the court is seized of the claim even if it is not included in the submissions' operative part, as long as it results from the grounds, the texts now require that the parties' claims be summarized in the operative part of their submissions (Article 768, 2, CPC and 954, 2, CPC) .

The role assigned to the parties in determining the subject matter of the dispute imposes a number of obligations on them. Thus, the claims of the parties must be formally expressed. Consequently, the terms of the dispute cannot result from the opinion expressed by the parties  or from the exhibits submitted in the proceedings . Similarly, a request seeking to have something acknowledged or to have it “stated and adjudicated” does not constitute a claim when it in fact merely sets out legal arguments . However, the Court of Cassation has deemed that a claim brought before a court is not inadmissible solely on the ground that it is not quantified, provided that it is ascertainable . In such a case, the court must invite the parties to quantify their claims .

Cass. 1re civ., 22 April 1981, No 79-13.435, LawLex202200005316JBJ; Cass. soc., 15 March 1983, No 82-60.408, LawLex202200005420JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 25 January, LawLex202200005345JBJ2; 15 November 1995, No 93-19.324, LawLex202200008104JBJ; 3 October 2002, No 01-00.361, LawLex202200005321JBJ; 16 September 2003, LawLex202200005336JBJ; 6 December 2012, No 10-24.721, LawLex202200005427JBJ.

Cass. soc., 23 November 1995, No 92-14.887, LawLex202200009663JBJ; Cass. 3e civ., 4 April 2002, No 96-12.284, LawLex202200006837JBJ; Cass. com., 27 June 2018, No 16-27.856, LawLex201800000992JBJ.

Cass. 3e civ., 28 October 1985, No 84-13.397, LawLex202200005355JBJ; Cass. 1e civ., 21 October 1997, LawLex202200005297JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 5 December 2013, No 12-23.611, LawLex202200008110JBJ; Cass. 3e civ., 2 July 2014, LawLex202200008114JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 13 November 2014, LawLex202200008113JBJ; Cass. 1re civ., 17 March 2016, No 15-13.765, LawLex202200008108JBJ; Cass. civ. 2e, 7 April 2016, No 15-13.832, LawLex202200008111JBJ.

Cass. 1re civ., 10 June 1986, No 84-17.087, LawLex202200005290JBJ; Cass. com., 6 June 1990, No 88-15.784, LawLex202200005363JBJ.

Cass. 1re civ., 3 June 1998, No 96-15.833, LawLex202200005281JBJ.

CA Grenoble, 23 May 2024, LawLex202400003906JBJ.

Cass. 2e civ., 25 October 1995, No 93-14.080, LawLex202200005346JBJ; 10 February 2000, No 98-15.287, LawLex202200005327JBJ; 14 December 2006, No 05-20.304, LawLex202200005333JBJ.

Cass. soc., 7 October 1997, No 95-44.162, LawLex202200005419JBJ; 24 November 1998, No 97-43.670, LawLex202200005422JBJ; Cass. 2e civ., 19 April 2005, No 04-30.121, LawLex202200005338JBJ.

1. Ordinary Law of Civil Procedure

11. Determination by the parties

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Les décisions de justice citées dans ce paragraphe :

Les notions juridiques connexes

11. Determination by the parties

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Les décisions de justice citées dans ce paragraphe :

Les notions juridiques connexes

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