Article 84 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
المادة 84 من نظام المحاكم التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الاستئناف
The article states what the court may do if the appellant does not attend the hearing: rule on the appeal under conditions, or postpone for up to 30 days and then deem the appeal not filed.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا لم يحضر المستأنِف الجلسة المحددة جاز للمحكمة الآتي:
1- أن تحكم في الاستئناف؛ إذا كانت القضية صالحة للحكم فيها، أو طلب المستأنف ضده الحكم فيها.
2- تأجيل الجلسة بما لا يزيد على (ثلاثين) يوماً، فإذا لم يحضر فيها المستأنف حكمت المحكمة من تلقاء نفسها باعتبار استئنافه كأن لم يكن.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 84 explained in plain English
This article deals with the case of the appellant not attending the set hearing, and allows the court one of two things:
First: ruling on the appeal, if the case is ready for judgment, or the respondent asks for judgment in it.
Second: postponing the hearing for a period not exceeding 30 days. If the appellant does not attend the postponed hearing, the court rules of its own motion that the appeal is deemed not to have been filed.
The article begins with the phrase "the court may", so the choice between ruling on the appeal and postponing is for the court within the limits the article mentions. The ruling that the appeal is deemed not to have been filed comes after the postponement and the appellant's non-attendance at the postponed hearing, and the court issues it of its own motion.
It follows that the appellant's non-attendance may lead to a ruling on their appeal in their absence, or to a ruling that their appeal is deemed not to have been filed if they do not attend after the postponement.
The article is connected to Article 83, which allows the respondent, up until the pleadings close, to file a cross-appeal that follows the main appeal and lapses with it, and to Article 85, which requires the appeal circuit to return the case to the first-instance circuit in certain cases of reversal of the judgment.
Anyone who is unable to attend the appeal hearing should consider consulting a lawyer specialized in commercial cases.
Practical example
An establishment in Makkah appealed a judgment issued against it and did not attend the set hearing. The court postponed the hearing for 20 days, and the establishment did not attend the postponed hearing either, so the court ruled of its own motion that its appeal was deemed not to have been filed.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 84 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
What happens if the appellant does not attend the appeal hearing?
The court may rule on the appeal if the case is ready for judgment or the respondent asks for judgment in it, or it may postpone the hearing for a period not exceeding 30 days.
When is an appeal deemed not to have been filed?
If the hearing is postponed because the appellant did not attend and they do not attend the postponed hearing, the court rules of its own motion that their appeal is deemed not to have been filed.
How long can an appeal hearing be postponed when the appellant is absent?
For a period not exceeding 30 days.
More articles on Appeal and Cassation
- Article 72
The procedures established before the first-instance circuits apply to the appeal circuits and the commercial circuit in the Supreme Court where there is no special provision.
فيما لم يرد فيه نص خاص، تسري على دوائر الاستئناف والدائرة التجارية في المحكمة العليا الإجراءات المقررة أمام الدوائر الابتدائية، بما في ذلك الأحكام المتعلقة بالآ
- Article 73
The article refers to the Implementing Regulations the objections that must be filed by a lawyer.
تحدد اللائحة الاعتراضات التي يجب رفعها من محامٍ.
- Article 74
The article sets who may object to a judgment, the permissibility of agreeing that a first-instance judgment is final, when interim rulings can be objected to, and the effect of an objection on immediate enforcement.
1- ما لم ينص النظام على غير ذلك، لا يجوز أن يعترض على الحكم إلا المحكوم عليه، أو من لم يُقضَ له بكل طلباته. 2- يجوز الاتفاق -ولو قبل رفع الدعوى- على أن يكون حكم
- Article 75
The article makes the address recorded in the case particulars the address for notification in an objection by way of appeal.
يُعَدُّ العنوان المُقيَّد في بيانات الدعوى عنواناً للتبليغ في الاعتراض بطريق الاستئناف.
- Article 76
The article sets the additional particulars required in the text of a judgment issued on an objection, and permits referring to the facts and reasons of the judgment objected to if they are sufficiently set out.
1- يجب أن تتضمن نسخة الحكم الصادر في الاعتراض -بالإضافة إلى البيانات الأساسية المذكورة في المادة (الثانية والستين) من النظام- الآتي: أ- ملخص وافٍ للاعتراض يشتمل
- Article 78
The article makes judgments and decisions of the first-instance circuits appealable, except minor cases not exceeding SAR 50,000 as the Council specifies, and regulates appeals decided without pleadings.
1- فيما لم يرد فيه نص خاص، تعدّ جميع الأحكام والقرارات الصادرة من الدوائر الابتدائية في المحكمة قابلة للاستئناف فيما عدا الدعاوى اليسيرة التي لا تزيد على خمسين
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.