The Limits of Applying the Right of Preemption. The Subtle Delimitation Between the Use of Legal Exceptions (Datio in Solutum / Payment in Kind) and Fraud against the Law Through Contractual Disguise
Keywords:
right of preemption; legal/conventional limitation; right of disposition; sale; patrimonial transfer; legal acts; legitimate interests; fraud against the law; disguised acts; legal exceptions; datio in solutum (payment in kind)Abstract
The right of preemption is a legal or conventional limitation on the owner's right of disposition, aimed at protecting legitimate interests (agricultural, cultural, co-ownership). According to Article 1730 of the Civil Code, it applies exclusively in case of sale. Its scope of application, although clearly defined by law, raises major issues at the intersection with other mechanisms of patrimonial transfer, as well as in the face of fraudulent intentions of the parties. This article aims to analyze two categories of situations that seem to circumvent preemption but require an essential distinction: on the one hand, legal exceptions (acts that are not sales by their nature, such as datio in solutum / payment in kind) and, on the other hand, fraud against the law (acts disguised as other legal operations, but which conceal a sale)."
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