Art. 59 OG, Art. 67 Abs. 4 OG; admissibility of an appeal where the dispute value does not reach CHF 4,000. The dispute value for federal appellate competence in patrimonial matters is determined by the parties’ claims before the first-instance cantonal court. If the threshold is not met, the declaration of appeal must be accompanied by a written statement of grounds; this requirement is a mandatory formality. Failure to file such a brief renders the appeal ineffective and leads to non-entry (consid. 1).