Reinforcing the Rights of the Victim in the French Law on Civil Liability

Abstract

In the last century the system of civil liability in French law has moved from being fault based to a system of guarantee, motivated by the desire to provide indemnity to victims.  This shift occurred in the common law of France and has been complemented by significant legislative intervention.  In this article Dr Sage explains the role and operation of the legislative methods of reinforcing the rights of victims and, in particular, the operation of the guarantee systems established by the state for road accident victims, for the victims of hunting accidents, of criminal injuries, of acts of terrorism, and for persons who have received transfusions of blood contaminated by the AIDS virus.