France / 23 July 1981 / France, Cour d'appel de Reims / Denis Coakley Limited v. Société Michel Reverdy / 774/81
| Country | France |
| Court | France, Cour d'appel de Reims (Court of Appeal of Reims) |
| Date | 23 July 1981 |
| Parties | Denis Coakley Limited v. Société Michel Reverdy |
| Case number | 774/81 |
| Applicable NYC Provisions | V | V(2) | V(2)(b) |
| Source |
Original decision obtained from the registry of the Cour d’appel de Reims |
| Summary | On 15 September 1978, a French company (Michel Reverdy) sold four shipments of grain to an Irish company (Denis Coakley Limited). A dispute arose and two arbitral awards were rendered in London on 23 May 1980 and 29 September 1980 (the second award, rendered on appeal of the first pursuant to the GAFTA rules, confirmed the first award and ruled in favor of Denis Coakley). In an order issued on 24 November 1980, the President of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Troyes (First Instance Court of Troyes) allowed enforcement of the awards in France. This decision was subsequently reformed on 6 May 1981, on the ground that one of the arbitrators in the first procedure had subsequently acted as counsel for Denis Coakley in the second procedure, contrary to international public policy. Appealing this decision, Denis Coakley argued that the action was not admissible and that the awards complied with international public policy and did not violate due process. The Cour d'appel de Reims (Reims Court of Appeal) overturned the 6 May 1981 decision and upheld the enforcement order of 24 November 1980. It reasoned that even though the NYC, applicable to the case at hand, provides that the arbitral procedure should comply with the law of the country where the arbitration took place, the recognition and enforcement of the arbitral award should, by virtue of Article V(2)(b) NYC not be contrary to the public policy of the country where the recognition and enforcement are sought. It added that it must examine whether the arbitral awards were compatible with the French concept of public policy and due process. It noted further that the public policy governing the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards is not the domestic public policy, but relates to international law of the State where the decision is sought to be relied upon. In the case at hand, the Cour d'appel de Reims held that Michel Reverdy failed to establish that the 23 May 1980 award was contrary to French international public policy and that due process had been violated. |
Attachment (1)
 Original Language Adobe Acrobat PDF |
