France Travail Ordered to Pay Father After Selling His Car to Recover Son’s Debt
France Travail had a Peugeot 5008 sold to recover a debt owed by a benefits claimant who had moved to Canada. But the vehicle belonged to his father, who was born in Morocco. Despite the father’s protests, the sale went ahead. The Lyon Court of Appeal has now ordered the agency to pay damages.
He had warned everyone. On November 7, 2024, the man, born in Morocco in 1962, wrote to the judicial officer tasked with seizing his Peugeot 5008. The car belonged to him, not his son. On December 4, he even launched legal proceedings to get it back. To no avail: on December 20, the vehicle was auctioned for just 1 900 euros.
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The seizure stemmed from a debt of 5 972,80 euros. France Travail was seeking repayment from the son for specific solidarity benefits he had improperly received in 2022. But he had moved to Canada. To recover the money, the agency turned its attention to the Peugeot 5008, whose registration document listed both father and son.
The proceedings began in April 2024. In November, the car was immobilized and then towed away. The problem: documents submitted by the father showed that he was its sole owner. He had bought it in March 2019 for 5 200 euros.
France Travail knew the car did not belong to the debtor
In court, France Travail claimed it had not learned of the objection until after the sale. The Lyon judges rejected that argument. The father had reported the situation by email and then filed a legal summons several weeks before the auction.
In their ruling of September 10, 2026, the judges found that France Travail had committed a fault by selling property that did not belong to its debtor.
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In February 2025, the court had already awarded the father the 1 900 euros raised by the sale, but refused to grant him damages. The man appealed.
This time, he was awarded 3 500 euros to compensate him for his losses, including insurance costs paid needlessly and being deprived of his vehicle. The court also noted that a comparable Peugeot costs between 4 990 and 6 200 euros on the used-car market. France Travail must also pay 3 000 euros toward legal costs and cover the court expenses. Including the auction proceeds awarded at first instance, the sums granted to the father total 8 400 euros.
