Publishing, the Rules of the Trade

La Mafia des tribunaux de commerce

Antoine Gaudino, Albin Michel, original edition, 1998, Coll. Bfm - Limoges

After a summary judgement, i.e. a decision immediately applicable where the matter itself is not debated, several journalists’ and experts’ investigations were called into question, among them La Mafia des tribunaux de commerce (1998) by Antoine Gaudino, a former policeman specialized in financial affairs then director of an auditing firm. A parliamentary report published after the book confirmed the author’s criticisms. However, the Tribunal de Brest demanded the suppression of four pages and pronounced penalties of 100,000 francs for all infractions. Without leaving any time for the publisher to withdraw the books from the bookshops, bailiffs seized 53 books with the offending pages. The Tribunal de Rennes finally invalidated the decision. As time went by, all over France, legal proceedings were brought against Gaudino and his publisher for defamation.