Court procedures take a huge amount of time in France and nothing prevents appeals, etc. So it's pretty much usual for the case to take years in the first court then for one party to appeal, which again takes years, and finally for one party to appeal the appeal, which sends the case to Cassation, which again takes years and possibly sends the case back to appeal (which is what has happened here).
It's not very unusual for criminal cases to drag on for a decade between arrest and end of all procedures, for instance.
It's not very unusual for criminal cases to drag on for a decade between arrest and end of all procedures, for instance.