Article 85 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
المادة 85 من نظام المحاكم التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الاستئناف
The article requires the appeal circuit to return the case to the first-instance circuit to decide the alternative requests or the merits when it reverses certain judgments.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يجب على دائرة الاستئناف -في حال إلغاء الحكم في الطلب الأصلي- أن تعيد القضية إلى الدائرة الابتدائية لتفصل في الطلبات الاحتياطية.
2- يجب على دائرة الاستئناف إذا ألغت الحكم الصادر بعدم الاختصاص في نظر الدعوى، أو بعدم جواز نظرها، أو بعدم سماعها لمضي المدة، أو عدم قبولها شكلاً، أو بقبول دفع فرعي ترتب عليه منع السير فيها؛ أن تعيده إلى الدائرة التي أصدرته للفصل في موضوعه.
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 85 explained in plain English
This article deals with cases of returning the case from the appeal circuit to the first-instance circuit, in two cases where it is mandatory for the appeal circuit:
Case one: alternative requests. If the appeal circuit reverses the judgment on the principal request, it must return the case to the first-instance circuit to decide the alternative requests.
Case two: judgments that did not decide the merits. If the appeal circuit reverses a judgment issued on one of the following matters, it must return it to the circuit that issued it to decide its merits:
- Lack of jurisdiction to hear the case.
- That it is not permitted to be heard.
- That it is not heard because of lapse of time.
- That it is inadmissible in form.
- Acceptance of a preliminary plea that results in preventing it from proceeding.
What the judgments in the second case have in common is that they did not address the merits of the case, so the article provides for returning them, after reversal, to the circuit that issued them to decide their merits.
The article is connected to Article 84, which states what the court may do if the appellant does not attend the set hearing, and to Article 86, which allows a petition for reconsideration of final judgments issued under the Law in the cases provided for in the Law of Sharia Procedure.
Anyone whose judgment was reversed for one of these reasons should consider consulting a lawyer specialized in commercial cases to learn the consequences of returning the case.
Practical example
A company in Riyadh filed a case against a supplier, and the first-instance circuit ruled that the case was inadmissible in form. The company appealed, and the appeal circuit reversed this ruling. Here the appeal circuit must return the case to the circuit that issued the judgment to decide its merits.
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 85 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
When does the appeal circuit return the case to the first-instance circuit?
It must do so if it reverses the judgment on the principal request, so that the first-instance circuit decides the alternative requests, or if it reverses a judgment of lack of jurisdiction, of non-permissibility of hearing, of non-hearing because of lapse of time, of inadmissibility in form, or of acceptance of a preliminary plea that results in preventing the case from proceeding.
What happens if a judgment of lack of jurisdiction is reversed on appeal?
The appeal circuit must return it to the circuit that issued it to decide its merits.
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.