CISG CASE PRESENTATION

Belgium 16 December 1996 District Court Kortrijk (Namur-Kreidverzekering v. Wesco)
[Cite as: http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/961216b1.html]

Case Table of Contents

• Case identification
• Case outline
• Classification of issues present
• Editorial remarks
• Citations to case abstracts, texts, and commentaries
• Guide to links contained in case presentations

Case identification

DATE OF DECISIONS: 19961216 (16 December 1996)

JURISDICTION: Belgium

TRIBUNAL: Rechtbank [District Court] van koophandel Kortrijk

JUDGE(S): P. Vanherpe, Rechter; F. D'Huyvetter and O. Snick, Rechters in handelszaken; B. Lefebvre, griffier

CASE NUMBER/DOCKET NUMBER: A.R. 4328/93

CASE NAME: N.V. Namur-Kreidverzekering v. N.V. Wesco

CASE HISTORY: Unavailable

SELLER'S COUNTRY: France; Belgian subrogee (plaintiff)

BUYER'S COUNTRY: Belgium (defendant)

GOODS INVOLVED: Cloth

Case outline

Reproduced with permission from CISG-Belgium database of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Plaintiff is a Belgian insurer subrogated in the rights of the French seller.

Application of CISG - Parties agree with application of the Convention

Conformity of the goods - Buyer’s obligation to give seller notice of lack of conformity - Time of notice - Notice by telephone 2 months after delivery - Subsequent notice by fax 3 months after delivery - Non-conformity easily noticeable - Speed required in the clothing trade - Failure to give timely notice - Requirements for the notice - Specification of the nature of lack of conformity - Buyer complains of "bad quality" of delivered goods - Failure to give precise notice

Interest - Article 78 CISG - No requirement that seller gives buyer formal notice of summons ("mise en demeure") - Interest rate - Application of Belgian statutory rate

Classification of issues present

APPLICATION OF CISG: Yes [agreement of the parties]

APPLICABLE CISG PROVISIONS AND ISSUES

Key CISG provisions at issue: Articles 35 ; 38 ; 39 ; 78

Classification of issues using UNCITRAL classification code numbers:

35D [Other issues concerning conformity of goods: burden of proof (Court held burden of proving that goods conform rests with seller, but court appointed judicial expert)];

38A1 [Buyer's obligation to examine goods as soon as practicable in the circumstances: examination at the moment of processing the goods held timely];

39A2 [Requirement to notify seller of lack of conformity: buyer must notify seller within reasonable time];

78B [Interest on delay in receiving price: rate of interest (domestic rate applied)]

Descriptors: Conformity of goods ; Examination of goods ; Lack of conformity notice, timeliness ; Burden of proof ; Interest

Editorial remarks

Headnotes by Patrick Wautelet, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Application of CISG: Parties agree with application of the Convention; Conformity of the goods - Buyer's obligation to give seller notice of lack of conformity - Time of notice: Notice by telephone 2 months after delivery - Subsequent notice by fax 3 months after delivery - Non-conformity easily noticeable - Speed required in the clothing trade - Failure to give timely notice - Requirements for the notice - Specification of the nature of lack of conformity - Buyer complains of"bad quality" of delivered goods - Failure to give precise notice; Interest - Article 78 CISG: No requirement that seller gives buyer formal notice of summons ("mise en demeure") - Interest rate - Application of Belgian statutory rate

Citations to case abstracts, texts, and commentaries

CITATIONS TO ABSTRACTS OF DECISION

(a) UNCITRAL abstracts: Unavailable

(b) Other abstracts

English: Unilex database <http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=340&step=Abstract>

CITATIONS TO TEXT OF DECISION

Original language (Dutch): CISG-Belgium database of Katholieke Universiteit Leuven <http://www.law.kuleuven.ac.be/ipr/eng/cases/1996-12-16.html>; Unilex database <http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=340&step=FullText>

Translation: Unavailable

CITATIONS TO COMMENTS ON DECISION

Dutch: Erauw, [1998] Tijdschrift voor Privaatrecht (TvP 35) 1369 [1518-1519 No. 260, 1521 No. 263, 1522 No. 264]

English: Liu Chengwei, Recovery of interest (November 2003) n.120, 212; CISG-AC advisory opinion on Examination of the Goods and Notice of Non-Conformity [7 June 2004] (this case and related cases cited in addendum to opinion); [2004] S.A. Kruisinga, (Non-)conformity in the 1980 UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods: a uniform concept?, Intersentia at 90; Article 78 and rate of interest: Mazzotta, Endless disagreement among commentators, much less among courts (2004) [citing this case and 275 other court and arbitral rulings]