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CISG-online number
2304
Case name
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Jurisdiction
France
Court
Cour de Cassation (French Supreme Court)
Chamber
Chambre civile 1 (Chamber for civil matters 1)
Judge
Christian Charruault (Presiding Judge)
Date of decision
01 December 2010
Case nr./docket nr.
09-13303
Claimants 2
Name
Peter F. Schlenzka
Place of business
USA
Role in transaction
Buyer
Name
Julie Langhorne
Place of business
USA
Role in transaction
Buyer
Respondents 3
Name
Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Place of business
France
Role in transaction
Seller
Name
Cruising Cats USA
Place of business
USA
Role in transaction
Seller’s agent in buyer‘s home country
Name
Rod Gibbons
Place of business
USA
Role in transaction
Owner of seller’s agent
Case History
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Alameda
USA, 26 February 2003 – 837722-1, CISG-online 3357
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Tribunal de Grande Instance de Rochefort sur Mer (District Court Rochefort sur Mer)
France, 12 November 2004, CISG-online 3522
rejecting application to declare foreign judgment enforceable
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Cour d'appel de Poitiers (Court of Appeal Poitiers)
France, 28 June 2005, CISG-online 3524
affirming
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Cour de Cassation (French Supreme Court)
France, 22 May 2007 – 05-20.473, CISG-online 3526
reversing and remanding
Schlenzka & Langhorne v. Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Cour d'appel de Poitiers (Court of Appeal Poitiers)
France, 26 February 2009 – 07/02404, CISG-online 2208
rejecting application to declare foreign judgment enforceable
Present decision affirming
Seller 1
Name
Fountaine Pajot S.A.
Place of business
France
Role in trade
Manufacturer of the goods sold
Buyers 2
Name
Peter F. Schlenzka
Place of business
USA
Role in trade
End-user of the goods
Name
Julie Langhorne
Place of business
USA
Role in trade
End-user of the goods
Category of goods
79: Other transport equipment
Goods as per contract
Catamaran (twin-hulled sailing yacht)
Price
826'009.00 USD (U.S. Dollar)
CISG applicable
no, Art. 2(a) and (e)
CISG applied
no
Key CISG provisions applied
Art. 2(a); Art. 2(e)
CISG provisions also cited
Art. 25; Art. 74
Non-provision-specific issues addressed
Punitive damages under domestic law
CLOUT number
1079
Comments on this decision 8
Bertrand Fages, 'Obligations en général', Revue trimestrielle de droit civil (RTD civ.) (2011), 122 [– in French]
Hélène Gaudemet-Tallon, 'Note sous Cour de cassation, 1ère Chambre civile, 1er décembre 2010', Revue critique de droit international privé (Rev. crit. dr. int. privé) (2011), 93 [– in French]
Jennifer Juvénal, 'Dommages-intérêts punitifs : comment apprécier la conformité à l'ordre public international?', Juris-Classeur périodique (Semaine juridique), Edition Générale (JCP G) (2011), 257–259 [– in French]
François-Xavier Licari, 'La compatibilité de principe des punitive damages avec l'ordre public international: une décision en trompe-l'oeil de la Cour de cassation?, note sous Crim. 16 nov. 2010', Recueil Dalloz (D.) (2011), 423 [– in French]
Mustapha Mekki, 'Droit de la responsabilité civile', Gazette du Palais (Gaz. Pal.) (4 and 5 May 2011), 21 [– in French]
Benjamin West Janke & François-Xavier Licari, 'Enforcing Punitive Damage Awards in France after Fountaine Pajot', 60(3) American Journal of Comparative Law (Am. J. Comp. L.) (2012), 775–804 [– in English]
Véronique Wester-Ouisse, 'La Cour de cassation et les dommages punitifs', Responsabilité civile et assurance (RCA) (2011), n° 3, Etude n° 5 [– in French]
Claude Witz & Martin Hlawon, 'Der neueste Beitrag der französischen Cour de cassation zur Auslegung des CISG (2007-2010)', Internationales Handelsrecht (IHR) (2011), 93–108, at 95–96 [– in German]
Full text and abstract of decision 2
Abstract of decision
CLOUT Abstract 1079 (Language: English)
Full text of decision
Original language: French