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BGE 4 I 581 ΓÇó Federal Court lacks jurisdiction over 250-franc surety claim
BGE 4 I 581Amtliche Sammlung des Bundesgerichts (BGE) / Band I19.07.1878Dismissed
Anton Rechsteiner, acting for himself and other heirs, challenged a cantonal judgment that had partly upheld a 250-franc claim arising from an official surety. The Federal Court held that it lacked competence: the dispute was not governed by an applicable federal substantive law, and the amount in controversy was far below the 3000-franc threshold. Art. 27 no. 4 of the Judiciary Act did not apply because that provision concerns direct jurisdiction in cantonal-private disputes above the threshold. The complaint was therefore dismissed as inadmissible for lack of jurisdiction.
Art. 29 OG; Art. 27 no. 4 OG; Art. 110 no. 4 BV: Federal appellate jurisdiction in civil matters exists only where the dispute must be decided under federal law and the subject matter reaches the statutory value threshold of 3000 francs or is not amenable to valuation. A purely cantonal civil claim below that amount does not confer Federal Court competence. Art. 27 no. 4 OG, which regulates direct federal jurisdiction in civil disputes between cantons and private persons, likewise presupposes the statutory value minimum. The scope of res judicata extends only to the claim actually adjudicated and does not create competence for future, higher-value claims.
rief sich Rekurrent darauf, daß, wenn es sich im speziellen Falle auch nur um 125 Fr. handle, das Urtheil doch eine viel größere Tragweite habe, indem Rekurrenten zu allen ewigen Zeiten für alle möglichen Irrungen u. s. w. verantwortlich wären, welche Landschreiber Bangerter begangen habe. C. Das Kantonsgericht von Appenzell J.-Rh. trug auf Abwei sung des Rekurses an, da der Streitwerth die bundesgerichtliche Kompetenz nicht erreiche. Das Bundesgericht zieht in Erwägung: