10 Questions Concerning the German Right of Appeal
Katharina GelbrichThe great reform of German civil procedure law in 2002 brought major changes in the right to appeal. The following article will provide an overview of the new regulations and constitutional concerns regarding the changes. In detail it gives an overview against which court decisions and under which conditions an appeal is permitted. Regarding the procedure the article focuses on the audit scope of the court of appeal and the possibility to dismiss the appeal by court order without any oral hearing.
10 Fragen zum deutschen Berufungsrecht
Katharina GelbrichDer nachfolgende Artikel gibt einen Überblick über das deutsche Berufungsrecht unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der erheblichen Veränderungen, welche die Zivilprozessreform im Jahr 2002 mit sich gebracht hat. Dabei werden zunächst im Detail die Veränderungen für das nunmehr stark begrenzte Novenrecht sowie die Einführung der Möglichkeit eine Berufung gemäß § 522 Abs. 2 ZPO ohne mündliche Verhandlung durch Beschluss zurückzuweisen dargestellt. Aufgrund der starken Begrenzung der Rechte der Rechtsschutzsuchenden war diese Reform in der Literatur und Bevölkerung starker Kritik ausgesetzt. Neben verfassungsrechtlichen Bedenken wurden zumindest solche hinsichtlich der Rechtsstaatlichkeit der Vorschrift geäußert. Insbesondere die Tatsache, dass die Gerichte je nach Region unterschiedlich häufig von der Möglichkeit die Berufung durch Beschluss zurückzuweisen Gebrauch machten, führte zu Unverständnis und negativen Reaktionen auf die Norm. In Auseinandersetzung mit den kritischen Stimmen der Literatur und Politik wurde herausgefunden, dass die Norm nicht verfassungswidrig aber ihre Anwendung zum Teil durchaus rechtsstaatlich bedenklich ist. Neben den Veränderungen durch die Prozessrechtsreform wird ein Überblick gegeben, unter welchen Umständen und gegen welche gerichtlichen Entscheidungen die Berufung das statthafte Rechtsmittel ist.
The following article will provide an overview of the right to appeal and of the new regulations that came into place under the great reform of German civil procedure law in 2002. In summary, following German law appeals continue to be an available remedy against the final judgments delivered by the court of first instance (§ 511(1) ZPO). Appeals are pursuant to § 511 (2) ZPO admissible only if the value of the subject matter of the appeal is greater than 600 euros, or if in its ruling, the court of first instance has granted leave to appeal. This mixed restriction of admission to the appeal is surprising. Mentioned in the following text is also the one month time limit for filing an appeal and the period for submitting the particulars of the appeal which are in fact two different time limits following German civil procedure law. Regarding these procedure, the article focuses on the audit scope of the court of appeal and the possibility of dismissing an appeal by court order without any oral hearing. The audit scope was previously limited by the great reform of German civil law in 2002. Before that change it was necessary for the court of appeal to establish the facts and circumstances relevant for its decision in a new fact-finding process whereas now the court of appeal is to base its hearing and decision on the facts established by the court of first instance. The article will show in detail how this reduction of legal protection is realized and how the critical voices are to be assessed. Another criticized change made by the great reform of German civil procedure law in 2002 was the introduction of § 522(2) ZPO. This provision has given the court the possibility to immediately deny leave to appeal if all of its members are unanimously satisfied that the appeal manifestly has no chance of attaining success, the legal matter is of no fundamental significance, the further development of the law or the interests in ensuring uniform adjudication do not require a decision to be handed down by the court of appeal, and no hearing for oral argument is mandated. This provision received an especially critical reception in the scientific community and amongst the greater public. It was said to be unconstitutional and an unnecessary reduction of legal protection. The main criticism lay in that some courts made greater use of the option to immediately deny leave to appeal whereas other courts did not use this option at all. Admittedly, the lapse of the oral hearing has had some negative effects on the acceptance of the court´s decision. It was discovered that the German constitution does not prohibit a regulation like § 522(2) seeing as there is no constitutional legal right to have an oral hearing when raising an appeal. Nevertheless, it is pointed out that the frequent use of § 522(2) - which is practised by some courts, whereas other do not immediately deny any leave to appeal - has caused concerns regarding the principle of equality. Furthermore, there are certain circumstances under which the parties may take legal action in the case of the court immediately denying leave to appeal without a legal hearing. Until 2011 there was no possibility to appeal against an immediate denial. Since the legislative amendment in 2011, the plaintiff in the appeal has been entitled to lodge a complaint against the court order immediately upon denial of leave to appeal.
