Civil Law
Civil law, or "droit civil" in French, is a broad area of law that governs the rights and duties of individuals and legal entities in their private relationships. It encompasses a wide range of legal issues, including contracts, property, family matters, and torts. Civil law is distinct from criminal law, as it primarily deals with disputes between private parties rather than offenses against the state.
“In matters of divorce, evidence can be provided by any means [...]. The judge can only exclude a piece of evidence from the proceedings if it was obtained through violence or fraud” (Court of Cassation, 1st Civil Chamber, June 17, 2009, no. 07-21.796).
The evidence used by spouses must meet the obligation of fairness. Thus, a spouse cannot submit to the court “a piece of evidence that was obtained through violence or fraud” (Article 259-1 of the French Civil Code).
