Agrégateur de flux

‘Digital Assets in Scots Private Law: Innovating for the Future‘ is a research project led by the University of Aberdeen with collaborators from the University of Edinburgh, University of Dundee (formerly from Edinburgh Napier University) and international law firm CMS. The third workshop of the project examined the Intra-UK and International Dimensions of Digital Assets […]

La Cour européenne des droits de l’homme rejette la saisine des requérants, faute pour eux d’avoir épuisé les voies de recours internes. Poursuivis au Royaume-Uni, notamment sur la base de données captées en France et transmises par décision d’enquête européenne aux autorités britanniques, les intéressés auraient dû contester la légalité de la captation devant les juridictions françaises pour valablement saisir la Cour à l’encontre de la France. 

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The Lindemann Fellowship, generously funded by the Lindemann Foundation, is a newly established initiative aimed at supporting promising academics in the field of private international law. The Fellowship’s primary goal is to provide early-career researchers with the opportunity to build a network with academics from all over Europe. Fellows will, in principle, be accepted for […]

I reported on the jurisdictional issues in the Brasilian orange juice cartel before. In Viegas & Ors v Estate of Jose Luis Cutrale & Anor [2024] EWCA Civ 1122 the Court of Appeal has now held on a claim amendment issue viz the continuing claim against some of the defendants (the claim against others having failed the jurisdictional test).

The issue of interest to the blog is first of all the situs of ‘choses in action’, that is, per P. Torreman’s Cheshire, North and Fawcett ‘the right of proceeding to obtain a sum of money or to claim damages’ or an enforcement right vis-a-vis an object (French: ‘une chose’ hence the odd use of ‘choses in action’ in the common law). That situs is fairly easily located if the enforcement relates to a physical object. Things are slightly more complicated when the object is immaterial, such as shares, or financial interests such as investments— which also incidentally explains why the issue often comes up in investment arbitration (the locus of the investment there, determining the applicability or not of a specific BIT or MIT).

In the case at issue, parties agreed on the situs: [77]

“It was common ground before us that the claims which the claimants are seeking to pursue are to be regarded as situate in this jurisdiction. In this connection, the defendants submitted that choses in action such as the claims “generally are situate in the country where they are properly recoverable or can be enforced” (see Dicey, Morris & Collins on the Conflict of Laws, 16th ed., at rule 136) and that the bringing of a claim in a particular jurisdiction reduces it into possession in that jurisdiction. The defendants relied in this respect on Trendtex Trading Corporation v Credit Suisse [1980] QB 629 (affirmed: [1982] AC 679), where Lord Denning MR said at 652:

“The right of action of Trendtex against C.B.N. was a chose in action. It was reduced into the possession of Trendtex by the issue of the writ in the High Court in England. It was situate in England.”

In the course of his oral submissions, [counsel for claimant] confirmed that he accepted that the claims which the claimants are seeking to advance in these proceedings are to be considered to be situate (sic) here.”

Further of interest to the blog is the standing of those claimants which are heirs of the original victims and the relevance of characterisation for same. 639 of the claimants listed across the claim forms bring claims as heirs on the basis that they are entitled to do so under Brazilian law. Some of these are expressly stated in the claim forms to be representing the estates of deceased persons, but in many other instances the claim forms simply give the claimants’ names. Three claimants were granted letters of administration in England and Wales on 11 July 2023, but that long post-dated the issue of the claim forms. None of the relevant claimants had obtained a grant of representation in England and Wales when the claims were instituted.

The first instance judge had concluded that the heirs could not pursue their claims in this jurisdiction in the absence of grants of representation here. “Insofar as the claim is brought before the distribution of assets to the beneficiaries”, she said [198], “this stage is the administration of the estate and an English grant is required in order for the heirs to bring the claim and collect the assets on behalf of those entitled to the assets of the estate”. Claimants challenge the Judge’s conclusions. 

This issue is where characterisation comes in: assigning the situation to a specific legal category so as to apply the relevant connecting factor and consequently the correct jurisdictional and applicable law consequences. Characterisation is done by the lex fori (except of courts where it is harmonised, such as, not always successfully, in EU law or the Hague instruments). Reference is made in the judgment to professor Briggs’ ‘pigeon holing’ analogy: [82]

the available categories are those created by the common law rules of private international law; and the placing within one or more of them is done according by reference to the same rules – for those who find analogies helpful, English law designs the pigeonholes, and an English sorter decides which facts belong in which pigeonhole.

Claimants essentially argue that  what matters for the purpose of characterisation is that the heirs’ claims are not brought as representatives of the estate, but as personal claims of the heirs in respect of the deceased person’s losses. The mere fact that the claim is being pursued in England should not be treated as giving rise to an estate in England so that the pursuit of the claim would have to be treated as being the administration of the estate – which would have required an English grant of representation.

This led on appeal [90] ff to consideration of classic civil law v common law distinctions on the passing of an estate, the need for probate in England etc.

[118]

for the purposes of characterisation, the law of England and Wales distinguishes between, on the one hand, the administration of an estate and, on the other, succession. It is clear, too, that under the law of England and Wales “succession to the movables of an intestate is governed by the law of his or her domicile at the time of his or her death”. If, therefore, the relevant issue is one of succession, Brazilian law must be applicable. The deceased persons from whom the heirs claim to have inherited causes of action were domiciled in Brazil, the causes of action represent “movables” and [counsel for claimants] confirmed that the deceased persons did not make wills extending to those causes of action.

Newey LJ [120]:

In broad terms, it seems to me that, under the law of England and Wales, matters relating to the collection of a deceased person’s assets and the payment of debts are considered to relate to the “administration of estates” and the distribution of assets after that is considered to relate to “succession”.

and [123-124]

If, as I consider to be the case, the collection of a deceased person’s assets and the payment of debts must be distinguished from the distribution of assets after that, the question whether the heirs have title to sue must, I think, fall to be treated as one relating to the administration of the deceased persons’ estates rather than one of succession. While a person’s assets are immediately and automatically transmitted to his heirs under Brazilian law and, on the Judge’s findings, an heir can bring proceedings relating to the estate, an heir does not acquire an “individualised interest” until “sharing”. Up to that point, any claim that an heir makes is “in defence of the common patrimony”, “the common heritage” and “the whole inheritance” …. Heirs can doubtless be expected to bring proceedings in their own interests, but “the proceeds awarded to the heir in the legal proceedings will not be considered, automatically, as personal patrimony of that heir” (in [expert’s] words). A particular heir may find that the fruits of a claim pass to one or more other heirs or are used to discharge debts. It is only when the “sharing” is carried out that an heir obtains an “individualised” absolute interest in an asset which had belonged to the deceased person. It is only then, too, that in the eyes of English law there is “succession” rather than the “administration of estates”.

In the present case, there is no suggestion that any relevant cause of action of a deceased person has been the subject of a “sharing”. As matters stand, therefore, the heirs are, for the purposes of characterisation, to be viewed as seeking to administer the estates of the deceased persons, not as having succeeded to any causes of action of the deceased persons. It follows that Brazilian law is not applicable and that the heirs cannot advance the claims in this jurisdiction without obtaining letters of administration here.

The appeal therefore fails, also nota bene on the question of whether the heirs should be given extension of time to obtain the required letters of administration.

I am not sure I agree. A cause of action of a deceased person, passed on to the heirs, is an asset, whether or not can successfully be acted upon. But I don’t suppose I had the benefit or all the expert evidence etc. Whatever the outcome, the case is an interesting example of the relevance of characterisation.

Geert.

https://x.com/GAVClaw/status/1844653916232774051

Commission / République tchèque (Éligibilité et qualité de membre d’un parti politique)
Citoyenneté européenne
Citoyenneté de l’Union : refuser aux citoyens de l’Union résidant dans un État membre sans en être ressortissants le droit de devenir membres d’un parti politique enfreint le droit de l’Union

This post was contributed by Fabien Marchadier, who is a professor of private international law at the University of Poitiers. On 4 October 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union delivered its judgment in Case C-633/22 Real Madrid Club de Fútbol v. Société éditrice Le Monde. The judgment explores the relationship between the public policy […]

La chambre criminelle opère un revirement de jurisprudence en reconnaissant pour la première fois la possibilité de remettre une personne réfugiée, dans le cadre de l’exécution d’un mandat d’arrêt européen, sans qu’il soit nécessaire que l’État membre d’émission s’engage à ne pas l’expulser vers son pays d’origine situé en dehors de l’Union européenne, sauf dans l’hypothèse d’une défaillance systématique au sein dudit État. Dès lors, elle réhabilite la présomption de respect des droits fondamentaux entre États membres et s’illustre comme un élève modèle vis-à-vis de l’Union européenne. 

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I signaled the preliminary reference and background here and Kokott AG Opined end of September in C‑393/23 Athenian Brewery SA, Heineken NV v Macedonian Thrace Brewery SA.

Can a person damaged by an infringement of the competition rules sue the company which committed that infringement at the seat of its parent company in another Member State?

The case clearly has echoes of the economic unit theory in EU competition law see eg ENI. On the other hand the CJEU in a MOL v Mercedes Benz, in a judgment issued before the Opinion, did not resort to the economic unit theory in the inverse sense, holding that a mother corporation cannot simply claim its registered office as locus damni in Article 7(2) Brussels Ia jurisdiction when one of its subsidiaries suffered damage resulting from a breach of competition law. (The AG in Athenian Brewery only refers to the Opinion of Emiliou AG in MOL).

(37) ff the AG points to Article 8(1)’s condition of joinders being possible of there is a risk of irreconcilable judgments arising from diverging judgments on the same situation of law and fact, existing in all likelihood where mother and daughter have both been found to have infringed competition law. However less clear (41) is

whether a close connection within the meaning of Article 8(1) of the Brussels Ia Regulation may be present even if the joint liability of the parent company and the subsidiary for the infringement has not yet been established. This may arise in particular in the case of stand-alone actions, which, unlike follow-on actions, cannot be based on a (binding) decision of a competition authority, be this the Commission (Article 16(1) of Regulation No 1/2003) or a national authority (Article 9 of Directive 2014/104).

(43) ff

“the fact in support of the presumption of control that the parent company holds (almost) all of the capital in the subsidiary is such a strong indication of the existence of a close connection between the actions directed against the parent company and the subsidiary for the purposes of Article 8(1) of the Brussels Ia Regulation that no further evidence of the existence of that close connection is usually required (see in this regard section a). That interpretation does not infringe the requirement as to the foreseeability of the court having international jurisdiction… What is more, it ensures the practical effectiveness of Article 8(1) of the Brussels Ia Regulation without leaving open the possibility of the applicant’s being accused of abusive behaviour…”

The AG explains all these elements in turn and I agree with her analysis.  (60) for instance she supports the ‘good forum shopping’ implications of the anchor defendant mechanism:

 It is not a circumvention of the rule of jurisdiction for the injured party to sue the Greek subsidiary too in the place where the Netherlands parent company is domiciled and thereby to remove the former from the jurisdiction of the Greek courts. If, after all, the defendants are domiciled in different Member States, Article 8(1) of the Brussels Ia Regulation allows the applicant to select the place before the courts of which it brings its claim. That freedom of choice includes the possibility for the applicant to bring the dispute only before the court that best suits its interests.

I do wish the CJEU would also recognise the alternative: the misuse of forum shopping using A7(2)’s forum delicti rule, by corporations committing infringement of competition law, as I discuss ia here.

Geert.

EU Private International Law, 4th ed. 2024, 2.516.

Private International Law and Sustainable Development in Asia

Date: 23 November 2024
Venue: Wuhan University School of Law, Conference Hall 120

Zoom link: Meeting ID: 846 5342 1671 Passcode: 206716

22 November 2024

06:00 PM: Conference Dinner

23 November 2024

08:30 – 09:00 AM: Registration and Welcome Coffee

09:00 – 09:05 AM: Opening Remarks

• TANG Zheng, Associate Dean, Wuhan University Academy of International Law and Global Governance

09:05 – 9.15 AM: Welcome Remarks

• HUANG Jin, President, China Society of Private International Law

9:15- 9:35 AM: Keynote Address (Private International Law and Sustainable Development)

• Ralf Michaels, Director, Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law
• Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm, Professor, University of Edinburgh
• Hans van Loon, former Secretary General, HCCH

9:35–9:50 AM: Conference Photo and Coffee Break

9:50 – 10:50 AM: Panel 1: Family/Equality

• Chair: Ralf Michaels
• Panelists
  • CHEN, Rong-Chwan (National Taipei University)
    • Taiwan’s Path toward SDG 5 in Private International Law
  • JOLLY, Stellina; MALLA, Prakriti (South Asian University)
    • International Child Abduction Jurisprudence in India and Nepal: an Evaluation of Gender Consideration in the Attainment of SDG 5
• Discussant
  • NISHITANI, Yuko (Kyoto University)
  • GAN Yong (Wuhan University)
• Q & A

10:50 – 11:05 AM: Coffee Break

11:05-12:05 Panel 2: Migration

• Chair: Hans van Loon
• Panelists
  • NISHITANI, Yuko (Kyoto University)

• • • Migration and SDGs in Family Relationships

• • YANG, Zixuan (Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law)
    • Sustain the Legal Identity for Intra-Regional Circular Migrants in Asia: From Private International Law towards Openness, Inclusiveness and Equity in the Greater Bay Area
• Discussant
  • Verónica Ruiz Abou-Nigm
  • CHEN Rong-Chwan
• Q & A

12:05 – 01:15 PM: Lunch Break

01:15 – 02:45 PM: Panel 3: The Role of the State

• Chair: Ignacio de la Rasilla, HAN Depei Chair, Wuhan University
• Panelists:
  • MU, Ke (Ocean University of China)
    • State-owned Enterprises’ Role in Marching towards the Sustainable Development Goals
  • FAN, Zihao (Peking University)
    • Cities’ Roles in Transnational Access to Justice and the Sustainable Value therein: An Observation on Jurisdictional Rules of Mainland China
  • ZHOU, Jiabao (University of Amsterdam)
    • Private International Law as Foreign Relations Law? Reorienting Chinese Private International Law towards Sustainable Development
• Discussant:
  • Ralf Michaels
  • HE Qisheng (Peking University)
• Q & A

2:45 – 3:00 PM: Coffee Break

3:00-4:30 Panel 4: Environment/Climate Change

• Chair: Verónica Ruiz Abou-Nigm
• Panelists:
  • CHONG, Adeline; SCHACHERER, Stefanie (Singapore Management University)
    • Extra-territorial Liability and Enforcement: Finding Ways to Tackle Haze Pollution in Southeast Asia
  • BÙI, Thi Quynh Tran (Thuongmai University); NGUYEN, Thi Hong Trinh (Hue University)
    • Exploring the Potential for Climate Change Litigation in Vietnam: A Forward-Looking Assessment
  • REYES, Anselmo (International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court, Arbitrator)
    • The Impartial Judge, Climate Change and the Conflict of Laws
• Discussant:
  • Hans van Loon
  • XU Qingkun (Wuhan University)
• Q & A

4:30-5:35 Presentations: The International Framework

• Chair: TANG Zheng
• Panelists:
  • GOH ESCOLAR, Gérardine (HCCH)
    • Private International Law Frameworks for the Digital and Green Economies: Crucial Tools for the Realisation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
  • ZHAO, Ning (HCCH)
    • Navigating Transnational Litigation in Asia: The HCCH’s Contribution to Achieving SDGs through Effective Legal Frameworks
  • ZHU, Lei (Wuhan University)
    • Regulating Global Anti-Competitive Conduct and the Role of Private International Law: Lessons from China
• Discussant:
  • TU Guangjian (Macao University)
• Q & A

5:35-5:40 Closing Remarks

06:00 PM: Conference Dinner

 

 

A Convention on the issue of certificates of matrimonial capacity and capacity to enter into a registered partnership was adopted on 13 September 2024 under the International Commission on Civil Status (ICCS). This is in fact the 35th instrument elaborated in the framework of ICCS. As explained by its Explanatory Report, the Convention builds on […]

Join us online tomorrow for a free seminar on the CISG in Australia, delivered by Dr Benjamin Hayward.

Abstract

Australia adopted the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) – a treaty intended to harmonise cross-border sale of goods law – in 1989. Australia gives the treaty local effect via a range of State, Territory, and Commonwealth Acts. A problem has arisen, however, with respect to the wording of that legislation. Some Australian courts consider that the treaty only applies, on a provision-by-provision basis, where it is inconsistent with local law. According to international understandings, however, the CISG is intended to displace local law to its subject-matter extent when it applies.

With reference to Australia’s statutory interpretation rules, and the legislative histories preceding the CISG’s adoption in Australia, this seminar identifies a parliamentary intention to apply the CISG in full in Australia. It therefore identifies that Australia intended to adopt the CISG in a manner consistent with its internationally understood effect. This seminar also examines the nature of Australia’s CISG cases to-date, and identifies how future courts can better engage with the treaty in order to realise its objectives of supporting international trade.

Presenter

Benjamin Hayward is an Associate Professor in the Department of Business Law at Monash University. He has published in Australia and internationally in private international law, international commercial arbitration, and the CISG. Ben currently teaches Australian contract law, consumer law and statutory interpretation (amongst other private law topics) at the Monash Business School.

Chair

Cara North is Special Counsel with Corrs Chambers Westgarth Melbourne, and Treasurer of AAPrIL. She practises in international litigation, arbitration and private international law. Cara has worked as a legal officer for the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and for five years as a consultant to the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference.

Details

Date and Time: Tuesday 19 November 2024, 5:00pm to 6:00pm (AEDT: GMT+11)*

* ACT, NSW, Tas and Vic; NZ, 7:00pm-8:00pm; SA, 4:30pm-5:30pm; Qld, 4:00pm-5:00pm; NT, 3:30pm-4:30pm; WA, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Online only: Zoom Link

Zoom ID: 879 8362 4800

RSVP: by email to reid.mortensen@usq.edu.au

Anyone is welcome to attend this seminar. There is no cost.

About the Australasian Association of Private International Law

The Australasian Association of Private International Law (AAPrIL) is a group of people committed to furthering the understanding of private international law in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region. To lean more, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.

« En direct de Bruxelles » est une chronique d’actualité juridique européenne dont l’objectif est de permettre de mieux comprendre ce qui se joue au niveau européen en matière de justice. Cette première chronique décrypte l’audition de Michael McGrath devant le Parlement européen, candidat irlandais pour le poste de commissaire européen en charge de la démocratie, de la justice et de l’État de droit. L’épisode permet notamment de découvrir son profil, son portefeuille, ses dossiers prioritaires.

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The University of Geneva is organising the second edition of the Executive Training on Civil Aspects of International Child Protection (ICPT). For more information, click here.

The University of Geneva’s ICPT, offered by the Children’s Rights Academy, is designed to:

• Explore innovative approaches to uphold the fundamental rights of children in transnational situations
• Learn best practices for supporting unaccompanied minors and displaced children seeking asylum
• Collaborate with experts from various fields to create holistic and effective child protection strategies
• Understand the dynamics of how different organisations and stakeholders can work together to protect children

Programme of the 2nd Round 2024 – 2025:

Module 1: Children’s Individual Rights in Transnational Parental Relationships

28 November 2024, 14:15 – 18:15

Module 2: International and Comparative Family Law

19 December 2024, 14:15 – 18:15

Module 3: Vulnerable Migration

27 February 2025, 14:15 – 18:15

Module 4: Practice of Child Protection Stakeholders: Inter-agency Co-operation in Context

10 April 2025, 14:15 – 18:15

On 12 December 2024 the University of Milan will host a conference, in English, titled The Enforcement of the ESG Principles in a Transnational Dimension: Jurisdiction and Applicable Law, under the scientific direction of Stefania Bariatti, Luigi Fumagalli, Zeno Crespi Reghizzi, Michele Grassi, Anna Liebman. The first session, chaired by Angelica Bonfanti (University of Milan), […]

Javier Carrascosa González (University of Murcia) and Esperanza Castellanos Ruiz (University Carlos III of Madrid) kindly accepted the invitation of the editors of the EAPIL blog to prepare a post as special editors of Vol. 16 No. 2 (2024) of Cuadernos de Derecho Transnacional, issued as a special edition dedicated to Studia Amicorum Alfonso-Luis Calvo […]

The Department ‘Law & Anthropology ’ of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, Germany, is offering positions in the Max Planck Research Group ‘Transformations in Private Law: Culture, Climate, and
Technology’ headed by Mareike Schmidt for two doctoral students with projects on Cultural Embeddedness of Private Law.

The full advertisement can be found here.

A new issue of ZEuP – Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht is now available and includes contributions on EU private law, comparative law and legal history, legal unification, private international law, and individual European private law regimes. The full table of content can be accessed here.

The following contributions might be of particular interest for the readers of this blog:

• Chancen und Risiken eines Virtual Registered Office (VRO)
  Stefanie Jung and Anne-Kathrin Haag on the virtualization of the registered office of a business: A virtualisation of the registered office and, possibly also the domestic business address would eliminate the need for a physical connection with the country of registration and thus save effort and costs relating to the establishment of a business. This article explores the opportunities as well as the risks of such a virtualisation. At the same time, the existing requirements for the registered office, the administrative office, the domestic business address, and the business premises will be reflected upon.
• Laloivit-elle? Erste Entwicklungen in der Rechtsprechung zum französischen Lieferkettengesetz
  Laura Nasse on the French Supply Chain Act: The French Supply Chain Act that entered into force on 27.3.2017 is a prime example for national and European legislation in the field of business and human rights. It has inspired the German Supply Chain Act and acted as a benchmark in negotiations on the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Based on recent case law, this article analyses the impact of the French legislation in practice.
• ECJ on “Quasi-Anti-Suit Injunctions” – Old Wine in New Bottles? – Judgment of the European Court of Justice of 7 September 2023
  Madeleine Petersen Weiner comments on a decision by the ECJ on “Quasi-Anti-Suit Injunctions”.
• Konkretisierung des Orts des Schadenseintritts nach Art. 7 Nr. 2 Brüssel Ia-VO in den sogenannten „Dieselfällen“ – Urteil des EuGH (Neunte Kammer) vom 22.2.2024
  Marko Andjic discusses a decision by the ECJ on the interpretation of Article 7 of the Brussels Ibis regulation concerning the place where the harmful event occurred.

On 4 and 5 December 2024, a conference on the Brussels I bis Regulation will take place in Budapest and online. The event is organized by Balázs Arató, Thomas Garber (Johannes Kepler University Linz), Katharina Lugani (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) and Matthias Neumayr (Johannes Kepler University Linz). The aim is to offer a perspective on […]

Written by Lena-Maria Möller,

College of Law, Qatar University

 

The recent introduction of a civil family law regime in the United Arab Emirates – the first of its kind in the region – has attracted considerable attention, both on this blog and beyond.[1] A key unresolved issue has been the law’s applicability in Abu Dhabi, particularly regarding access for Muslim foreigners to the emirate’s newly established Civil Family Court. Scholars and legal practitioners navigating this new framework have long observed a surprising discrepancy, if not an ideological tension, between the law’s drafters and those interpreting it, especially at the higher court level. Central to this divergence has been whether Abu Dhabi’s Law on Civil Marriage and Its Effects (Law No. 14/2021 of 7 November 2021, as subsequently amended) and its Procedural Regulation (Chairman Resolution No. 8/2022 of 1 February 2022) apply exclusively to non-Muslims or extend also to Muslim foreigners who are citizens of non-Muslim jurisdictions. A recent judgment by the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation in late October affirmed jurisdiction over Muslim foreigners with dual French-Moroccan nationality, marking a potential shift in personal jurisdiction. This ruling may expand access to a legal framework devoid of religious underpinnings for many Muslim expatriates in the UAE.

 

The Legal Framework

The civil family law regime in the UAE comprises three main legislative components. With the exception of Abu Dhabi, which pioneered a separate non-religious legal framework in late 2021, the Federal Civil Personal Status Code (Law No. 41/2022 of 3 October 2022) governs matters of marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance exclusively for non-Muslim citizens and non-Muslim foreigners. The law’s scope is explicitly outlined in Article 1, which clearly differentiates based on religious affiliation rather than nationality.

The earlier local legislation in Abu Dhabi, Law No. 14/2021 of 7 November 2021, initially applied only to non-Muslim foreigners but was soon amended, by Law No. 15/2021 of 15 December 2021, to significantly broaden its scope. Most notably, the terms ‘foreigner’ and ‘non-Muslim foreigner’ were replaced by ‘persons covered by the provisions of this law,’ a concept further clarified in Article 5 of the Procedural Regulations. Under these provisions, the law applies to civil marriage, its effects, and all civil family matters for:

1. Non-Muslim UAE citizens, and
2. Foreign nationals from countries ‘that do not primarily apply Islamic Sharia in personal status matters,’ as determined by the Instruction Guide issued by the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. For dual citizens, the nationality associated with their UAE residency prevails.

Additionally, the law also applies to marriages concluded in countries that do not primarily apply Islamic Sharia in personal status matters, as outlined in the Instruction Guide (which has yet to be issued), as well as to all marriages conducted under the provisions on civil marriage.

The latter two cases are particularly broad, potentially also covering Muslim citizens who married abroad, yet they are rarely cited by the courts. Judicial discussions tend to focus on paragraph 2 of Article 5, which addresses foreigners from specific non-Muslim jurisdictions. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Law No. 14/2021 also includes jurisdictional provisions and scope-of-application rules, which remain equally ambiguous.[2]

Article 1 of Law No. 14/2021 defines ‘persons covered by the law’ as ‘the foreigner or non-Muslim citizen, whether male or female.’ Unfortunately, the Arabic version of this definition is open to multiple interpretations. This ambiguity arises because the adjective ‘non-Muslim,’ placed after the word ‘citizen’ and set off by commas, could be read as referring either solely to citizens or to both foreigners and citizens. As a result, debates over the phrasing of this definition are a frequent element in pleadings before the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court.

Moreover, in its amended form, Article 3 of Law No. 14/2021 stipulates that if a marriage has been concluded in accordance with this law, it shall apply with respect to the effects of the marriage and its dissolution. A narrow interpretation of this clause would deny jurisdiction whenever the parties did not marry before the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, even if they are non-Muslim foreigners married in a civil ceremony elsewhere. However, it seems clear that the drafters did not intend to exclude this core target group from the law’s jurisdiction. Similarly, it is difficult to imagine that jurisdiction would be automatically assumed in cases involving Arab Muslims – even GCC citizens – who married in a civil ceremony in Abu Dhabi, where the Civil Family Court currently allows civil marriages for all but Muslim citizens of the UAE.

The ambiguity of these clauses grants considerable discretion to the courts, and current case law on personal jurisdiction for Muslim foreigners does not yet indicate a consistent approach or prevailing interpretation. For this reason, the recent judgment by the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation may indeed mark a turning point in the application of civil family law in Abu Dhabi.

 

Previous Case Law

To date, the most significant ruling by the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation regarding personal jurisdiction over Muslim foreigners was issued in late April 2024. As discussed on this blog, the judgment denied a French-Lebanese husband and his estranged Mexican-Egyptian wife access to the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court due to their shared Muslim faith. Initially, the Civil Family Court accepted jurisdiction and, at the husband’s request, dissolved the couple’s brief marriage, a decision that was upheld on appeal. However, the Court of Cassation overturned this ruling, determining that the Civil Family Court lacked jurisdiction based on the parties’ religious affiliation.

This case also highlights the inconsistent, and at times contradictory, approach of the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal on this issue. The same panel of judges has sometimes upheld jurisdiction in cases involving foreign Muslims, while in other instances, it has denied the application of Law No. 14/2021. The available case law suggests that factors such as whether the individuals are Muslim by birth or by conversion, hold dual citizenship – including that of an Arab country – or have disputed religious affiliations do not consistently influence the court’s jurisdictional decisions.

The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court generally takes the broadest view of jurisdictional rules, generally affirming that Muslim foreigners may access the court. This stance persists despite frequent jurisdictional challenges by opposing parties in cases involving Muslims, who typically argue that the Muslim Personal Status Court is the proper forum for such disputes. Recently, such arguments have increasingly referenced the Federal Civil Personal Status Code and its exclusive jurisdiction over non-Muslims, a claim likely bolstered by the Court of Cassation’s April 2024 ruling, which disregarded the widely accepted view that the Federal Civil Personal Status Code does not apply in Abu Dhabi.

 

The Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation Judgment of 30 October 2024

The case decided by the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation in late October involved a French-Moroccan Muslim couple who had married in a civil ceremony in France. Their marriage was dissolved by the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court in June 2023 at the husband’s request. The wife contested this ruling, arguing that the court lacked both territorial jurisdiction – since their last shared residence was in Dubai – and personal jurisdiction, given their shared Muslim faith. She further contended that ongoing proceedings before the Dubai Personal Status Court, along with a pending divorce case in France, should have precluded the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court from issuing a ruling. The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal upheld the divorce decision, leading her to appeal to the emirate’s highest court.

From a personal jurisdiction perspective, the Court of Cassation’s judgment is notable for its textbook-like analysis of what constitutes the effective citizenship of dual nationals. Unlike previous cases before both the Court of Cassation and the Court of Appeal, which largely overlooked this aspect of Article 5(2) of Law No. 14/2021, this ruling explicitly concludes that the parties’ French citizenship takes precedence, as it is the nationality tied to their residency in the UAE. The judgment also addresses the fact that the parties married in a civil ceremony in France, invoking Article 5(3) of Law No. 14/2021. The court explains that, since France does not ‘primarily apply Islamic Sharia in personal status matters,’ the conditions of Article 5(3) are also met.

By confirming personal jurisdiction over the parties based on both Article 5(2) and Article 5(3) of Law No. 14/2021, the judgment marks a turning point in two key respects. First, it establishes the requirement to determine the effective nationality of dual citizens, affirming that no nationality, including that of an Arab-Muslim country, takes precedence unless it is linked to UAE residency. Second, by considering the type and location of the marriage, the court asserts that, from the moment a marriage is concluded, couples effectively select a legal framework – religious or civil/secular – that will govern the marriage’s effects and potential dissolution, and that this choice must be honored in any subsequent legal proceedings. Although this perspective may be open to challenge, it provides greater clarity and legal certainty for foreigners of all faiths residing in the UAE.

 

Outlook

For the sake of legal certainty, it is to be hoped that the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation will maintain its newly established position. The latest interpretation appears the most plausible, particularly in light of Article 5(2) of the Procedural Regulations. Nevertheless, the current provisions on jurisdiction still leave room for ambiguity regarding the law’s exact scope of application, warranting clarification through reform, given the contradictory case law to date.

First, Article 5 should be revised, including paragraph (3), to specify the court’s jurisdiction over anyone who has entered into a civil marriage. For instance, a rule is needed for cases where a couple has married in both a religious and a civil ceremony. Additionally, the Chairman’s Instruction Guide, or at least a clear list of Muslim jurisdictions whose citizens are excluded from the law’s scope, is urgently needed. It is essential to clarify whether the provision applies equally to Arab Muslims or GCC nationals without dual citizenship who have concluded a civil marriage in a non-Muslim jurisdiction. Second, refining the Arabic versions of Law No. 14/2021 and the Procedural Regulations is crucial to avoid multiple interpretations, such as whether the law applies to ‘non-Muslim foreigners and citizens’ versus ‘foreigners and non-Muslim citizens.’ Finally, with recent legislative changes allowing foreign, non-Arabic-speaking lawyers to appear before the Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court, consistent and official English translations of all relevant statutes are absolutely necessary. Current translations available through various official channels are fragmented and occasionally ambiguous.

 

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[1] See on this blog, Béligh Elbalti, Abu Dhabi Supreme Court on the Applicability of Law on Civil Marriage to Foreign Muslims, idem, The Abu Dhabi Civil Family Court on the Law on Civil Marriage – Applicability to Foreign Muslims and the Complex Issue of International Jurisdiction, and Lena-Maria Möller, Abu Dhabi Introduces Personal Status for non-Muslim Foreigners, Shakes up Domestic and International Family Law. See also, idem, One Year of Civil Family Law in the United Arab Emirates: A Preliminary Assessment, 38 Arab Law Quarterly (2024), 219-234.

[2] It should be noted here that with the introduction of Law No. 14/2021, a dedicated Civil Family Court was established in Abu Dhabi. Family matters falling within the scope of Law No. 14/2021 are exclusively adjudicated in this court, which applies only the civil family law statutes and no other domestic or foreign legislation. Consequently, questions of the court’s jurisdiction and the law’s scope of application are closely intertwined, if not mutually dependent.