Overview
- The Cour de cassation ruled that no parental 'right of correction' exists in French law, international texts, or its modern case law.
- The court quashed the April 18, 2024 acquittal by the Metz appeals court of father Yves Milla and ordered a retrial before the Nancy court of appeal.
- Milla had been convicted in 2023 in Thionville to an 18‑month suspended sentence and loss of parental authority for violence against his two sons between 2016 and 2022.
- Judges noted older criminal rulings, including one from 1819, had referenced such a right, but said contemporary jurisprudence and the 2019 law require parental authority without physical or psychological violence.
- Child‑protection officials and groups, including Claire Hédon, Sarah El Haïry and Stop VEO, welcomed the clarification, pointing to 2024 survey data showing corporal punishment remains common in households.