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4w ago

Cour de Cassation Defines Terror‑Victim Status, Aligns Criminal and Compensation Standards

The ruling sets a uniform test for criminal and compensation judges, signaling tighter limits on claims not tied to direct peril.

Lors d’un rassemblement pour rendre hommage aux victimes de l’attentat du 14-Juillet sur la Promenade des Anglais à Nice, le 16 juillet 2016.
Le début du procès des attaques du 13-Novembre, en septembre 2021 à Paris. Dans sa décision rendue vendredi 28 novembre, la Cour de cassation a défini le statut de victime du terrorisme, comme celui d’une personne qui a été exposée au danger.
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L'entrée de la Cour de cassation à Paris, le 5 mai 2021

Overview

  • A person qualifies as a terrorism victim only if directly exposed to an objective risk of death or bodily harm, or if they could legitimately believe they faced that danger at the moment.
  • The definition now governs both assize-court proceedings and civil indemnification decisions handled through the Jivat and the FGTI.
  • The court quashed a Paris appellate ruling that had denied a Bataclan neighbor compensation, finding she was directly exposed as she witnessed part of the attack and hid inside her home.
  • Appeals from two families near the 2016 Nice attack were rejected because they were about 200 meters beyond the truck’s stopping point and their injuries stemmed from a panic-driven crowd movement.
  • The court affirmed the indemnification system’s autonomy to speed psychological and bodily harm repairs, a stance with major financial implications after mass attacks that recognized nearly 1,500 civil parties in the Nice trial.