PARIS — A top court in France on Friday paved the way to remove life support from a man who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade, after a yearslong legal battle in a landmark case on the right to die.

The court in Paris struck down a lower court’s ruling that had ordered doctors to continue artificially feeding and hydrating the patient, Vincent Lambert, 42, a nurse who was injured in a car accident in 2008.

Mr. Lambert did not leave written instructions about his end-of-life wishes, and his family has been bitterly divided over his treatment. His parents and other relatives say that he is not suffering and should be kept alive. His wife, Rachel Lambert, and others say he would not have wanted to live this way and should be taken off life support.

Following the ruling on Friday, a lawyer for Mr. Lambert’s wife said that it signaled the “end of this dispute.”