DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇷 Brazil /Crime & Justice

Brazilian Federal Judges Association defends fee fund, says measure expands access to justice

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Federal Judges Association (Ajufe) is advocating for the Special Fund of the Federal Justice (Fejufe), or Fee Fund, which requires presidential sanction by September 4.
  • Ajufe argues the fund corrects distortions and expands access to justice by exempting those earning up to R$5,000 from court costs, aligning with income tax brackets.
  • The association contends the fund does not create new expenses but will affect "predatory litigants" and discourage excessive lawsuits by charging more to those who file more cases.

The Federal Judges Association (Ajufe) met with Justice Minister Wellington Silva to present arguments in defense of the Special Fund of the Federal Justice (Fejufe), commonly known as the Fee Fund. This measure, which has been approved by the National Congress, awaits sanction from President Lula by September 4 to become effective.

According to Ajufe, the fund corrects distortions and inequalities and expands access to Justice for those who earn less.

Explaining the purpose of the Fee Fund.

According to Ajufe, the Fee Fund aims to correct distortions and inequalities, thereby expanding access to justice for lower-income individuals. The proposal includes exempting individuals earning up to R$5,000 from court costs, a threshold that aligns with the income tax bracket. Currently, the concession of such exemptions depends on the discretion of individual judges.

The proposal provides for exemption from court costs for those who earn up to R$5,000, the same bracket as Income Tax.

Detailing the income threshold for cost exemption.

The association emphasized that the project does not introduce new expenses but will impact those who litigate "predatorily." Ajufe pointed out that court fees have been frozen since 2000, with a ceiling of R$957.69 applicable to any case, regardless of the dispute's value. This means a million-dollar lawsuit against the Union incurs the same cost as a low-value case.

The entity made a point of telling the government that the project does not create new expenses, but affects those who litigate 'predatorily'.

Addressing concerns about new expenses and impact on litigants.

Ajufe stated that adjusting the fees would affect those who litigate excessively and could help combat habitual debtors. The fund, they argue, will charge higher fees to those who file more cases, potentially discouraging the large volume of lawsuits currently seen in the judiciary. Furthermore, the money generated will not go to individuals but will be allocated to infrastructure, technology, and citizen services, including advanced units in municipalities without federal courts and mobile justice services in riverside and indigenous regions.

According to Ajufe, court costs have been frozen since 2000. The ceiling is R$957.69 and applies to any process.

Providing historical context on court fees.
About this summary

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog