Procedures
Code de procédure civile of 1825 with cassation review
Civil procedure follows the Code de procédure civile of 1825, French in origin and formal in character, with proceedings commenced by assignation served by a huissier. First instance jurisdiction is divided between the Tribunaux de paix for small claims and the Tribunaux de première instance, with appeals to the Cour d'appel and review on points of law by the Cour de cassation. Access to justice is constrained by geography, cost and the limited number of functioning courts.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunaux de paix, Tribunaux de première instance, Cour d'appel, Cour de cassation
- Deadline — Appeal to the Cour d'appel: within the period prescribed from service of the judgment
- Deadline — Pourvoi en cassation: lodged within the statutory period from notification
- Deadline — Prescription for personal actions: 20 years under the Code civil
Governing law
- Code de procédure civile de 1825
- Loi portant organisation judiciaire
- Décret sur le Conseil Supérieur du Pouvoir Judiciaire 2007
- Loi sur l'arbitrage
In practice
Because service is effected by huissier and the code is highly formal, procedural irregularity is a common and effective line of attack, and the mechanics of service deserve close attention. Judicial capacity is the practical constraint that dominates: vacancies on the Cour de cassation have at times prevented it from sitting, so the availability of a remedy cannot be assumed from the text of the code alone.