1. The legal proceeding shall be deemed in presence of the Defendant if the latter appears in person or is represented by an attorney, if a power of attorney is issued on his behalf before the Case Management Office or at any trial hearing or before the expert witness or the arbitrators, or if the Defendant has submitted a statement of defense, even if the Defendant fails to appear thereafter. 2. Subject to the provisions of Article [76] of this Code, the Plaintiff may neither present new claims during the hearing at which the adverse party fails to appear, nor amend the initial claims, unless the amendment is beneficial to the Defendant and does not affect any of the latter's rights. 3. The Defendant may not, in the absence of the Plaintiff, request that a judgment be rendered against the Defendant.
Interpretation and application must be checked against the official text and current version.