Spain 17 February 1998 Supreme Court [2977/1996]
[Cite as: http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/980217s4.html]
DATE OF DECISIONS:
JURISDICTION:
TRIBUNAL:
JUDGE(S):
CASE NUMBER/DOCKET NUMBER: 2977/1996
CASE NAME:
CASE HISTORY: 1st instance Arbitral Award, Merchants' Association of the Hamburg Exchange 19 December 1994 [exequatur refused]
SELLER'S COUNTRY: Spain (defendant)
BUYER'S COUNTRY: Germany (plaintiff)
GOODS INVOLVED: Unavailable
SPAIN: Tribunal Supremo 17 February 1998 [2977/1996]
The plaintiff sought to have the Spanish Tribunal declare the recognition and enforcement
of the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal (The Hamburg Stock Market Association). It was
denied on the basis that an arbitration clause was not proven to have been concluded
between the parties, according to the New York Convention (10 June 1958). The court
held that the documents presented were proof enough of the existence of commercial
relations between the parties and even of the conclusion of a contract by performing
customary contractual acts (according to Articles 18 and 19 CISG), but they did not
prove the existence of an arbitral clause.
APPLICATION OF CISG: Yes APPLICABLE CISG PROVISIONS AND ISSUES Key CISG provisions at issue: Classification of issues using UNCITRAL classification code
numbers:
18A [Acceptance (time and manner): criteria for acceptance];
19A [Reply purporting to accept but containing additions or medications]
Descriptors: EDITOR: Patricia Rincón Martín
The court held that according to Arts. 18 and 19 of the CISG, documents, as those
presented, proved the existence of a contract between the parties, but not the inclusion of
an arbitration clause. Those documents were a photocopy of a bill referred to one
contract (of the various celebrated by the parties), selling confirmations of the mediating
society not signed by any of the parties and photocopies of the correspondence between
the seller and the mediating society. The court stated: ". . . si bien de todos ellos (the
documents referred above) pudiera quedar acreditada la existencia de relaciones
comerciales, e incluso, la perfección de un determinado negocio jurídico, en cuanto
demonstrativos de actos típicos de ejecución contractual (vide Art. 18 y 19, en vigor
entre los Estados de los que son nacionales las partes en litigio), no permiten, sin
embargo, sostener sin ambages que en semejante relación contractual se incluyó la
cláusula compromisoria que motivó el procedimiento arbitral. . . ."
CITATIONS TO OTHER ABSTRACTS OF DECISION (a) UNCITRAL abstract: Unavailable (b) Other abstracts English: Unilex database <http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=892&step=Abstract> Spanish: CISG-Spain & Latin America website "http://www.uc3m.es/cisg/respan8.htm" CITATIONS TO TEXT OF DECISION Original language (Spanish): CISG-Spain & Latin America website "http://www.uc3m.es/cisg/sespan8.htm"; Base de Datos [Database] Aranzadi Jurisprudencia; Unilex database <http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=892&step=FullText> Translation: Unavailable CITATIONS TO COMMENTS ON DECISION Unavailable Case abstract
Classification of issues present
Editorial remarks
Citations to other abstracts, case texts and commentaries
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Institute of International Commercial Law - Last updated November 6, 2003