Title VII: Provisions specific to the Cour de cassation.

Except in the case of forfeiture provided for in Article 978, the case shall be distributed as soon as the claimant has submitted his statement of case and, at the latest, on expiry of the time limit set for that purpose.

The chairman of the panel to which the case is distributed shall appoint a councillor or a referendary councillor of that panel as rapporteur. He may immediately fix the date of the hearing. He may, after obtaining the agreement of the parties, appoint a mediator to hear the parties and compare their points of view to enable them to find a solution to the dispute between them, in accordance with…

In addition to the cases in which the Chamber rules in restricted formation, the President may, in particular when the complexity of the case justifies it, appoint two rapporteurs from among the councillors or referendary councillors. Where the case requires an in-depth investigation, an investigation meeting is held before the report is submitted. 1° The president of the chamber appointed in accordance with the procedures set out in first paragraph…

After the pleadings have been lodged, this panel shall decide that there is no need to give a ruling in a specially reasoned decision where the appeal is inadmissible or where it is manifestly not such as to result in cassation. A panel may also decide not to reply in a specially reasoned decision to one or more pleas which are inadmissible or which are manifestly not such as to…

Where it is intended to raise one or more pleas of its own motion, to reject a plea by substituting a purely legal ground raised of its own motion for an erroneous one, or to declare a case quashed without referral back, the chairman of the bench or the rapporteur(s) shall notify the parties and invite them to submit their observations within the time limit they shall set. The same…

The chamber to which an appeal is referred may seek the opinion of another chamber to which an appeal is referred on a point of law which falls within the jurisdiction of that chamber. The Advocate General and the parties are notified of this by the president of the chamber to which the appeal is referred. They may submit observations before the chamber called upon to give its opinion. The…

When the Cour de cassation invites a person to submit general observations on the points it determines pursuant to article L. 431-3-1 of the Code of Judicial Organisation, the latter may make written observations, which are then communicated to the parties, or be heard during a hearing to which the parties are summoned. The parties are given a period of time in which to submit their written observations.

In accordance with articles 11-1 and 11-2 of Law no. 72-626 of 5 July 1972 as amended, the proceedings shall be public. The Court may, however, decide that the hearings shall take place or continue in chambers if their public nature would infringe the privacy of the parties, or if all the parties so request, or if any disorder arises that is likely to disturb the serenity of justice. Decisions…

The report is made at the hearing.

The lawyers shall be heard after the report if they so request. The parties may also be heard after being authorised to do so by the chairman.