Spain 26 May 1998 Supreme Court (Nordgemüse Wilhelm Krogmann v. Javier Vierto) (Fruit and vegetables case)
[Cite as: http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/980526s4.html]
DATE OF DECISIONS:
JURISDICTION:
TRIBUNAL:
JUDGE(S):
CASE NUMBER/DOCKET NUMBER: 3516/1997
CASE NAME:
CASE HISTORY: 1st instance Arbitral Award, International Arbitration Chamber for Fruit and Vegetables, Strasbourg 10 October 1995 [exequatur refused]
SELLER'S COUNTRY: Germany (plaintiff)
BUYER'S COUNTRY: Spain (defendant)
GOODS INVOLVED: Fruit and vegetables
Case abstract
SPAIN: Tribunal Supremo 26 May 1998
The plaintiff sought to have the Spanish Tribunal declare the recognition and enforcement
of the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal (International Chamber of Commerce for Fruits
and Vegetables of Strasburg). 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 did not prove
the parties' will to include an arbitration clause in the contract they concluded, even
though they were, however, 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 Arts. 18 and 19 CISG).
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 modifications]
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: several bills, a purchase order, a delivery
note referring to other goods, a photocopy of the confirmation of a purchase order, a
photocopy referring to the return of goods and claims for storage costs and photo copies
of the correspondence between the plaintiff's lawyer and the defendant. 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=893&step=Abstract> Spanish: CISG-Spain & Latin America website "http://www.uc3m.es/cisg/respan10.htm" CITATIONS TO TEXT OF DECISION Original language (Spanish): CISG-Spain & Latin America website "http://www.uc3m.es/cisg/sespan10.htm"; Base de Datos [Database] Aranzadi Jurisprudencia; Unilex database <http://www.unilex.info/case.cfm?pid=1&do=case&id=893&step=FullText> Translation: Unavailable CITATIONS TO COMMENTS ON DECISION Unavailable
Classification of issues present
Editorial remarks
Citations to other abstracts, case texts and
commentaries
Pace Law School
Institute of International Commercial Law - Last updated November 6, 2003