Ineffectiveness of prior judgments following withdrawal of claim with defendant's consent under § 269 ZPO

The German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) declared the prior rulings of the District Court and the Regional Court of Appeal ineffective, rendering them legally void after the plaintiff withdrew the claim with the defendant’s consent under § 269 Abs. 3 Satz 1, Abs. 4 ZPO, and set the amount in dispute for the revision proceedings at up to €40,000. The case originated as a civil dispute reviewed on appeal, where the procedural posture was resolved by the mutual agreement of the parties to terminate the litigation rather than a substantive judgment on the merits. The decisive legal basis for the outcome was the specific procedural provision permitting the court to declare earlier judgments ineffective upon the withdrawal of a claim with the opposing party's consent.