Metz had argued that parental correction could be allowed if the violence did not harm the child, was proportionate, and did not humiliate them, a view the Cassation rejected.

The Cour de cassation rejects the notion of a parental "right to correction" as a defense for educational violence, aligning with French law and international standards.

Legal commentators view the decision as closing a long-standing gap and aligning practice with modern norms that prohibit corporal punishment.

The ruling narrows the scope of permissible parental discipline in France and strengthens protections against corporal punishment in line with international norms.

A cassation decision in France closes a long-standing jurisprudential ambiguity by confirming there is no customary or implicit right to correct children through violence, and that such conduct is not permitted.

The cassation audience took place on November 19, and the Metz appeal’s April 18, 2024 decision is sent back to the Court of Appeal of Nancy for a new judgment.

The Court of Cassation overturned Metz’s 2024 acquittal of a father for violence against his two minor sons based on a claimed "right of correction."

The case was remanded to the Nancy Court of Appeal for rehearing after the cassation reversal of the Metz decision.

Historically, an 1819 criminel chamber ruling hinted at a "right of correction," but modern jurisprudence does not recognize such a defense, a point reinforced by the cassation ruling.

The ruling explicitly rejects lingering outdated remnants of a right of correction, emphasizing no modern basis exists for it.

The Cassation Court states there is no parental right of correction in French law, international texts, or contemporary jurisprudence, ordering a reexamination by the Nancy Court of Appeal.

Lawyers and child-protection advocates welcomed the ruling, noting that the 2019 law clearly prohibits so-called educational violence in France.