APPELLATE PROCEEDINGS IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Full review of the case
Appellate proceedings in the Dutch Caribbean provide for a full review of the appealed decision: the grounds on which the Appellate Court can reverse the original judgment are not, as in certain other jurisdictions, limited to procedural matters. It is furthermore permissible to introduce new documentary evidence in the course of [...]

INSURANCE BUSINESS IN ARUBA (II)

Different insurance contracts
According to the SOSIB a “life insurance agreement” is an insurance contract concerning the payment of cash benefits related to the life or death of man, and a “general insurance contract” is an insurance contract, other than a life insurance contract.
Generally, an insurance contract is understood to be an agreement whereby an insurer [...]

INSURANCE BUSINESS IN ARUBA (I)

The Central Bank of Aruba is the regulator
The Central Bank of Aruba supervises insurers incorporated in Aruba and the branches and agencies in Aruba of insurers incorporated outside Aruba based on the State Ordinance on the Supervision of the Insurance Business (SOSIB).
The SOSIB, effective since 2001, stipulates that life and non-life insurance business must be [...]

UNITED NATIONS BASIC PRINCIPLES ON THE ROLE OF LAWYERS

The Basic Principles are considered to be a “soft-law” instrument
The Basic Priciples on the role of lawyers were adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990.
According to the preambule professional associations of lawyers have a vital role to [...]

NOMINATION TOP LAW BLOGS

Karel’s Legal Blog Nominated
Each year, LexisNexis honors a select group of blogs that set the online standard for a given industry. Karel’s Legal Blog  is one of the nominated candidates for the Top 25 International & Foreign Law Blogs of 2011, featured on the LexisNexis International & Foreign Law Community.
Karel Frielink
(1 November 2011)

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THE ENFORCEMENT OF A JUDGEMENT BY THE COURTS IN CURACAO

Judgments are immediately enforceable most of the time
According to Article 55, par. 1 of the Curacao Code of Civil Procedure, opposition (in the case of a default judgment) or appeal (in the event of adversarial proceedings) prevent the enforcement (execution) of a judgment unless the decision is ‘enforceable notwithstanding opposition or appeal’ a.k.a. a judgment [...]

THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM

A well developed system
The judicial system of the various islands in the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius) is independent, has a long history, and is well developed. It is capable of resolving complex commercial disputes in a just and efficient manner. The judges in the Dutch Caribbean are well-trained, [...]

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT AND REDUNDANCY

Termination by mutual consent is preferable
In general, Curacao labor law provides for the following ways to terminate an employment agreement: (i) termination by giving notice, (ii) dissolution by the Courts and (iii) termination by mutual consent.
Prior to giving notice, an employer must obtain a permit from the Director of the Directorate of Labor Affairs. The [...]

THE RHYTHM AND BLUES OF CURACAO CONTRACT LAW

Principle of fairness and reasonableness
When considered in the perspective of the laws of Curacao, the reliance on or the enforcement of contractual terms and conditions contained in any agreement, may under certain circumstances be contrary to the overriding principle of ‘fairness and reasonableness’ (redelijkheid en billijkheid) which governs the relationship between the parties to an [...]

U.S. JUDGMENTS AND CURACAO

The recognition and enforceability of foreign judgments in the absence of a treaty
In the absence of an applicable treaty between foreign countries (for example the U.S.) and Curacao, a judgment rendered by a U.S. court will not be enforced by Curacaoan courts. In order to obtain a judgment which is enforceable in Curacao the claim [...]