Owner sues French state for €522,000 over ban on driving his motorhome

A retiree from Lamothe-Fénelon in the Lot department is seeking €522,000 in damages from the French state after his motorhome, built in 2010, was found to be too heavy to drive on French roads. He claims the regional directorate for industry, research and environment (Drire) of Basse-Normandie failed to detect the problem during inspections. During the hearing, the public rapporteur noted that it is the manufacturer's or owner's responsibility to declare the vehicle's weight, and no fault by Drire was proven that would engage state liability. A 2018 ruling had already gone against the retiree, who reportedly invested over €700,000 in the motorhome.