A claim can be brought only before a civil court. You cannot bring an action during criminal proceedings, but there are other ways of seeking redress before a criminal court.
Civil proceedings against the offender can be initiated independently of ongoing criminal proceedings. However, please note that the civil proceedings may be suspended until the final conclusion of the criminal proceedings. If you bring the claim after the conclusion of criminal proceedings in which the offender is convicted, the civil court will not take evidence again and will accept as proven what the criminal court established.
You can seek damages for both actual loss and lost profits before a civil court. You should indicate the amounts you seek to obtain from the offender and explain what they concern and how you calculated them.
There is no specific form for such claims.
If you present a conviction, you will not need to prove anything. The civil court will be bound by the findings of the criminal court. You can, however, seek higher damages, but you will need to prove that your claim is justified. Evidence to confirm the validity of your claims may include statements of witnesses and documents such as bills or opinions.
As a rule, relevant court fees are charged for filing a civil suit. However, you can apply for exemption from court costs if you prove that you are unable to pay them.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can request a court-appointed representative. To that end, you should submit an application to the court, together with information (on a special form) about your financial situation.
You can apply for damages even if you do not reside permanently in Poland.
A claim can be brought only before a civil court. The court will dismiss it if you do not prove that the offender caused the damage or if you do not prove the amount of that damage. However, if you attach a criminal conviction on the basis of which the offender was found guilty, the civil court will not be able to dismiss the claim.
You can appeal against the judgment of a civil court of first instance (sąd cywilny I instancji) before a court of second instance (sąd II instancji). If you are not represented by a lawyer, the court will inform you how to lodge an appeal.
During criminal proceedings, you can seek redress in the following ways:
If the offender is ordered to redress the damage, the court will provide you with a copy of the decision. If the offender does not redress the damage and has received a suspended sentence of imprisonment, you can request that the sentence be enforced.
If criminal proceedings were conditionally discontinued and the offender does not redress the damage, he or she faces the resumption of the proceedings and conviction. The court decides on this at a session in which you may participate.
The judgment of the civil court awarding you damages will be enforced by an enforcement authority, namely a bailiff (komornik).
The national language version of this page is maintained by the respective Member State. The translations have been done by the European Commission service. Possible changes introduced in the original by the competent national authority may not be yet reflected in the translations. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to any information or data contained or referred to in this document. Please refer to the legal notice to see copyright rules for the Member State responsible for this page.