{"id":3991,"date":"2026-05-18T13:17:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/?p=3991"},"modified":"2026-05-18T13:17:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T11:17:53","slug":"ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/the-penalty-clause-is-not-a-penalty-clause-and-escapes-the-judges-power-to-moderate-it\/","title":{"rendered":"CCMI: the forfeiture clause is not a penalty clause and is outside the judge's power to moderate."},"content":{"rendered":"

By a judgment published on 8 January 2026 (Cass. 3E<\/sup> civ., 8 January 2026, no. 24-12.082), the Court of Cassation recalls a fundamental distinction in construction law: the lump-sum compensation due by the client who decides to withdraw from a contract for the construction of an individual house (CCMI) falls under the forfeiture clause, and not the penalty clause; as such, it cannot be reduced by the judge, even if its amount may seem high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this particular case, the individuals had signed a CCMI stipulating that, in the event of termination on their initiative, they would be required to pay the builder compensation amounting to 10% of the agreed price, a sum intended to cover costs already incurred and loss of earnings. Having abandoned their project, they sought a reduction in this compensation, which had been set at \u20ac13,781. The Paris Court of Appeal had reduced it to \u20ac6,980, viewing it as a manifestly excessive penalty clause. The Third Civil Chamber rejected this reasoning and reinstated the contractual compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal analysis is based on the classic distinction between two contractual mechanisms that are often confused. The penalty clause, governed by Article 1231-5 of the Civil Code, penalises the culpable non-performance of an obligation and may, as such, be reduced or increased by the judge if its amount appears manifestly excessive or derisory. The withdrawal clause, on the other hand, is the monetary consideration for a right of withdrawal granted to one of the parties: this party does not breach their commitments; they are exercising a right. However, in the context of a CCMI, Article 1794 of the Civil Code expressly recognises the client's right to unilaterally terminate the fixed-price contract before its completion, requiring them to compensate the contractor for their expenses, their work, and anything they might have earned. The High Court draws the logical consequence: the lump-sum compensation negotiated by the parties to arrange this legal right is not intended to penalise a fault, but to organise in advance the liquidation of a right. It cannot therefore be classified as a penalty clause, nor, consequently, be reduced by the judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, this solution reminds prospective homeowners that a CCMI is not a contract that can be rescinded without cost. Before signing, it is essential to carefully examine the financial conditions for unilateral termination and assess the actual exposure in the event of a change of plans, particularly when the builder has already undertaken studies, administrative steps or supplies. For builders, the decision secures contract drafting and confirms that the lump-sum compensation provided for in Article 1794 remains fully enforceable, provided it is clearly set out as the consideration for a right of withdrawal and not as a penalty for non-performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clients who are considering abandoning a construction project would be well-advised to seek legal advice before issuing any notice. This will allow them to assess the exact nature of the stipulated clause, the possibility of an amicable settlement, and grounds for recourse, for example, resulting from a prior breach by the builder. The line between a withdrawal penalty and a penalty clause remains fine, and each case requires individual analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References: Cass. 3E<\/sup> civ., 8 January 2026, No. 24-12.082, published in the Bulletin; Articles 1794 and 1231-5 of the Civil Code; Articles L. 231-1 et seq. of the Construction and Housing Code.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a ruling published on 8 January 2026 (no. 24-12.082), the Court of Cassation ruled that the fixed sum owed by the client who withdraws from their CCMI is a penalty clause, which cannot be judicially reduced.<\/p>\n

Read More\u2026 from CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-actualite"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n'est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge - Cabinet Pothet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n'est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge - Cabinet Pothet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Par un arr\u00eat publi\u00e9 du 8 janvier 2026 (n\u00b0 24-12.082), la Cour de cassation juge que l'indemnit\u00e9 forfaitaire due par le ma\u00eetre d'ouvrage qui renonce \u00e0 son CCMI est une clause de d\u00e9dit, insusceptible de mod\u00e9ration judiciaire. [...]Read More... from CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/the-penalty-clause-is-not-a-penalty-clause-and-escapes-the-judges-power-to-moderate-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cabinet Pothet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/02\/01_LOGO_CABINETPOTHET.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"josephandre.pothet\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"josephandre.pothet\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"josephandre.pothet\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d549161c312f1ca91659818dc1d12f20\"},\"headline\":\"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":649,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Actualit\u00e9\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/\",\"name\":\"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n'est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge - Cabinet Pothet\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Cabinet Pothet\",\"description\":\"General law firm in the Saint Tropez area\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Cabinet Pothet\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/Group-51.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/app\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/10\\\/Group-51.svg\",\"width\":68,\"height\":68,\"caption\":\"Cabinet Pothet\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.cabinetpothet.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d549161c312f1ca91659818dc1d12f20\",\"name\":\"josephandre.pothet\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"josephandre.pothet\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"CCMI: the withdrawal clause is not a penalty clause and is beyond the judge's moderating power - Pothet Law Firm","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n'est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge - Cabinet Pothet","og_description":"Par un arr\u00eat publi\u00e9 du 8 janvier 2026 (n\u00b0 24-12.082), la Cour de cassation juge que l'indemnit\u00e9 forfaitaire due par le ma\u00eetre d'ouvrage qui renonce \u00e0 son CCMI est une clause de d\u00e9dit, insusceptible de mod\u00e9ration judiciaire. [...]Read More... from CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge","og_url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/the-penalty-clause-is-not-a-penalty-clause-and-escapes-the-judges-power-to-moderate-it\/","og_site_name":"Cabinet Pothet","article_published_time":"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/app\/uploads\/2023\/02\/01_LOGO_CABINETPOTHET.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"josephandre.pothet","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"josephandre.pothet","Estimated reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/"},"author":{"name":"josephandre.pothet","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d549161c312f1ca91659818dc1d12f20"},"headline":"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge","datePublished":"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/"},"wordCount":649,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Actualit\u00e9"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/","name":"CCMI: the withdrawal clause is not a penalty clause and is beyond the judge's moderating power - Pothet Law Firm","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-18T11:17:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/ccmi-la-clause-de-dedit-nest-pas-une-clause-penale-et-echappe-au-pouvoir-moderateur-du-juge\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"CCMI : la clause de d\u00e9dit n’est pas une clause p\u00e9nale et \u00e9chappe au pouvoir mod\u00e9rateur du juge"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/","name":"Cabinet Pothet","description":"General law firm in the Saint Tropez area","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#organization","name":"Cabinet Pothet","url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Group-51.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Group-51.svg","width":68,"height":68,"caption":"Cabinet Pothet"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d549161c312f1ca91659818dc1d12f20","name":"josephandre.pothet","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f49097ff2aa9db865bab798c5468f8919464520607078a631e080291a50e410d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"josephandre.pothet"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3991"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3992,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3991\/revisions\/3992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cabinetpothet.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}