Subsection 1: Common provisions

A judgment which determines in its operative part all or part of the principal issue, or a judgment which rules on a procedural objection, a plea in bar or any other incident, shall, as soon as it is given, have the force of res judicata in relation to the dispute which it determines. The principal issue shall mean the subject-matter of the dispute as determined by Article 4.

As soon as the judgment is handed down, the judge is relieved of jurisdiction over the dispute it resolves. However, the judge has the power to retract his decision in the event of opposition, third-party opposition or an application for review. He may also interpret or rectify it under the distinctions set out in articles 461 to 464.