Recently, the Paris Court of Appeal stayed the enforcement of the final award in the <i>Heirs of the Sultan of Sulu v Malaysia</i>. The Court held that an award of damages, based on the restitution value of disputed territory, presented a risk of serious prejudice to territorial sovereignty that warranted a stay. The decision clarifies the definition of "serious prejudice" that will justify a stay of enforcement pending annulment of an arbitral award in France.