BGE 65 I 1•Non-suit in trust-abuse complaint over return of clothing
BGE 65 I 1Federal Supreme Court Official Reports (BGE) / Band IMar 3, 1939Dismissed
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On 15 July 1938, de Stuers complained of breach of trust before the Justice of the Peace of Begnins for refusal to return clothing. After an inquiry and the hearing of Marcel Galland, the justice issued a non-suit on 7 December 1938, holding that the dispute was civil rather than criminal, that the complaint was abusive, and that the proper forum would in any event be Geneva. The complainant was ordered to bear the costs.
Criminal complaint; refusal to return property alleged as breach of trust does not necessarily disclose a criminal offence where the dispute is essentially civil in nature. Where the proceedings are used abusively to pursue a civil restitution claim, the authority may decline to enter into the complaint and charge the costs to the complainant; questions of venue may further confirm the inappropriateness of the chosen forum.
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Le 15 juillet 1938, de Stuers porta plainte en abus de confiance auprès du Juge de paix de Begnins pour refus de restitution des vêtements. Le 7 décembre, après enquête et audition de Marcel Galland, le Juge de paix rendit une ordonnance de non-lieu et mit les frais à la charge du plaignant, estimant qu'il s'agissait d'une affaire civile, que la plainte était abusive et que d'ailleurs le for du délit serait Genève.
Extracted by Omnilex
Whether the criminal complaint for breach of trust regarding refusal to return clothing should be dismissed as a non-suit
The justice of the peace held that the matter was civil in nature and declined to proceed criminally.
The court considered that the dispute concerned a civil claim for restitution, not a criminal breach of trust.
Whether the complaint was abusive and whether costs should be borne by the complainant
The court found the complaint abusive and ordered the costs against the complainant.
Because the matter should have been pursued as a civil case, the criminal complaint was considered abusive.
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