The proof contrary fact regarding the legal presumption contemplated in the article 23 of the Organic Law on the Directorate of Labour (Commentary on the sentence of the Supreme Court, Court Nº 18865-2018)

Abstract

The present commentary critically assesses the judgement delivered on 9 July 2019 by the Supreme Court on the occasion of the knowledge of a Unification of Jurisprudence Appeal. The purpose of the latter was to determine the probative value of the findings of the Labour Inspectorate reports. To this end, and after summarizing the procedural history of the case, we will set out the arguments outlined by the Court and analyze them critically, giving special relevance to the concept of legal presumption. In doing so, we aim to achieve an adequate understanding of the legal consequences of the presumption referred to in article 23 of the Organic Law on the Directorate of Labour: its probative value and the possibility of proof contrary to the requirement proportionality enshrined in article 493 of the Labour Code.