La rinnovazione della notifica della citazione ex art. 291 c.p.c. impedisce ex tunc anche la prescrizione, ma soltanto in assenza di colpa del notificante

The article examines a ruling issued by the Joint Civil Chambers (Sezioni Unite) of the Italian Supreme Court, which resolves a long‑standing conflict in the case law concerning the interpretation of Article 291 of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure and the effects of renewing the service of the writ of summons. It offers a critical assessment of the Court’s conclusion that the retroactive effect of such renewal is conditional upon the claimant’s absence of fault.