Paragraph Third: Cause

Article 195

Article 195 - The cause of an obligation lies in the motive that directly and uniformly commands it and is an integral part of the contract, namely, in synallagmatic contracts, the corresponding obligation; in real contracts, the performed service; in unilateral onerous acts, a pre-existing civil or natural obligation.

Article 196

Article 196 - An obligation without cause, or one whose cause is erroneous or illicit, is non-existent and leads to the non-existence of the contract to which it was related; what has been paid can be repeated.

Article 197

Art. 197 - There is a mistaken cause when the party has committed themselves to a putative cause, the existence of which they believed in error. False pretenses do not, in and of themselves and as a principle, vitiate the contract, which remains valid if the real cause of the obligation is lawful.

Article 198

Article 198 - The illicit cause is that which is contrary to public order, good morals, and imperative provisions of the law.

Article 199

Article 199 - Every obligation is presumed to have an effective and lawful cause, even if it is not expressed in the deed. The expressed cause is considered accurate until contrary proof is presented. When evidence is produced of the falsity or unlawfulness of the cause, it is up to the party alleging a different lawful cause to establish the accuracy of their claim.

Article 200

Article 200 - The cause of the contract lies in the individual motive that led the party to conclude it and which is not an integral part of the deed; it varies in kind for a same category of contracts.

Article 201

Article 201 - When the cause of the contract is illegal, the act is radically null.