The result of a court case is, in most cases, the issuance of a judgment. In this judgment, the court will make binding decisions regarding the rights and obligations of the parties involved. What does the judgment mean for you, and how can you contest it? You will find out in this article.

When Will I Receive the Judgment?

The judge will announce the ruling and a brief explanation of the judgment at the last court hearing, in the presence of all parties involved in the case. However, the public may also attend the announcement. You will usually have to wait for the written and complete version of the judgment, which includes all necessary details. The court typically sends it to the parties within 30 days of the announcement (with some exceptions, where the court may send it later).

What Must the Judgment Contain and What Can I Read from It?

At first glance, the judgment may seem unclear. However, it always consists of three parts, which we will briefly introduce to help you navigate the judgment more easily. These parts are the ruling, the reasoning, and the instructions.

• The Ruling: You will find this on the first page of the judgment, and it is usually marked with Roman numerals. It is the part of the judgment where the court makes binding decisions about the subject of the dispute and the costs of the proceedings (expenses incurred during the entire case). The losing party is generally required to cover the costs of the winning party. Simply put, the ruling is the part of the judgment you must follow unless you or the opposing party file an appeal, as it is the binding part of the judgment.

An example of a ruling in a case where the plaintiff is seeking payment of 20,000 CZK could look as follows:

I. The defendant is ordered to pay the plaintiff 20,000 CZK with 10% interest per annum from the amount of 20,000 CZK from January 1, 2024, until full payment, within 3 days of the finality of this judgment.

II. The defendant is ordered to pay the plaintiff, to the plaintiff's legal representative, 10,000 CZK in legal costs, within 3 days of the finality of this judgment.

• The Reasoning: This part follows the ruling. Here, the court explains in detail why it made the decisions outlined in the ruling. In the reasoning, you will find the arguments of the parties to the dispute, including the court's evaluation of these arguments. If the court disregards any arguments, it must explain why.
• The Instructions: This is the last, but no less important part of the judgment, which provides instructions on legal remedies. It always appears at the end of the judgment and informs you whether an appeal can be filed. The court also states the time frame for filing an appeal and specifies the court where the appeal should be submitted. The most common time limit for filing an appeal is 15 days from the delivery of the written judgment. It is important to emphasize that the missed deadline for filing an appeal is not excusable, so you must be very cautious and verify exactly when the appeal deadline ends.

The instructions might read as follows:

You may file an appeal against this judgment within 15 days from the delivery of its written version, to the Municipal Court in Prague through the District Court for Prague 1.

When Should I Appeal Against the Judgment?

If you are satisfied with the ruling, an appeal is unnecessary. However, you should be aware that the opposing party can file an appeal. If they do, you will need to respond to their arguments in the appellate proceedings, as the appellate court can overturn the entire judgment to your detriment. Only when the judgment becomes final and no further appeals can be made (it is "final") can you seek enforcement based on the rulings. If the opposing party fails to comply with the judgment within the specified deadlines, you can enforce the rulings through enforcement proceedings.

If, however, you disagree with the judgment, you can file an appeal against the rulings. In the appeal, you must specify which rulings you are contesting and explain the reasons why you believe the rulings are incorrect. You need to present specific arguments showing why the court made an error. You may have objections regarding improperly conducted evidence or incorrect findings, as well as incorrect legal assessments. Therefore, it is advisable to frame your arguments as convincingly as possible, supporting them with case law from higher courts. For this reason, we recommend contacting experienced lawyers to help prepare a solid appeal.

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We used a publicly available AI translation tool to translate this article from Czech to English. Please contact us if any of the above information is unclear to you.