Février, I don’t have any involvement with Mr. Barkats or any knowledge of him beyond what I’ve written in this post. I suggest you consult with a French lawyer. Good luck!

Je crois comprendre dans cet article que vous avez des problèmes avec Pierre Philippe Barkats avocat? Moi aussi j’en ai car il ne veut pas partir de mon appartement à Paris où il se trouve depuis au moins 2 ans et il ne paie plus les loyers etc.…

Dites moi ce qu’il en est et peut être pouvons nous unir nos forces? …

I don’t think it’s possible to draw such broad conclusions from this decision. It seems that there was some evidence that the defendant lived in Paris and none that he lived in Chevy Chase, and so the plaintiffs, who had the burden of proof, lost. But the defendant has hardly made himself judgment-proof. There are still several avenues for making service of process. Anyway, well-advised creditors can avoid these sorts of problems ex ante by appropriate language in the loan agreement.

If someone can incur huge debts in this country and then exit to spend the money in the country of his choice while he makes himself immune to service of process and thus effectively “judgment proof,” why should any person who has connections outside the U.S. bother to honor his obligations to Americans?