Hammam Lawsuit Sparks Safety Overhaul in Moroccan Public Spaces

The case concerns the owner of a public hammam in Casablanca. A customer had been injured in the right leg after being hit by an interior door of the establishment. He had then taken legal action to obtain compensation for the damage suffered.

In the first instance, the civil court had ordered the owner to pay the victim 250,000 dirhams in compensation. This judgment had been contested by the owner of the hammam and his insurance company, who argued the responsibility of the client and the good condition of the door.

However, their appeal was rejected, and the Court of Cassation has just definitively confirmed this decision. In its ruling, the high court recalled that the responsibility of the owner of a public place towards its customers was of a contractual nature.

The Court stressed that the owners of such establishments "must take all necessary precautions to guarantee the safety of visitors", which includes the maintenance of the facilities. It also reaffirmed that the assessment of the damage and the amount of compensation fell within the sovereign competence of the trial judges, thus making the conviction enforceable.