Article 5 of the French Code of Criminal Procedure

A party who has brought his action before the competent civil court may not bring it before the criminal court. This is not the case unless the criminal court has been seised by the public prosecutor’s office before a judgment on the merits has been given by the civil court.

Original in French 🇫🇷

Article 5

La partie qui a exercé son action devant la juridiction civile compétente ne peut la porter devant la juridiction répressive. Il n’en est autrement que si celle-ci a été saisie par le ministère public avant qu’un jugement sur le fond ait été rendu par la juridiction civile.