FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Applications nos. 44328/18 and 25234/21
Alda Maria ALVES FERREIRA against Portugal
and Maria Angela PEREIRA GOMES DA COSTA TORRES and Others against Portugal
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 31 august 2023 as a Committee composed of:
Faris Vehabović, President,
Anja Seibert-Fohr,
Anne Louise Bormann, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged on the dates indicated in the appended table,
Having regard to the formal declarations accepting a friendly settlement of the cases,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings were communicated to the Portuguese Government (“the Government”). Complaints based on the same facts were also communicated under another Convention provision (for further details see appended table).
The Court received the friendly-settlement declarations, signed by the parties, under which the applicants agreed to waive any further claims against Portugal in respect of the facts giving rise to these applications, subject to an undertaking by the Government to pay them the amounts detailed in the appended table. These amounts will be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertake to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
The payment will constitute the final resolution of the cases.
THE LAW
Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
The Court takes note of the friendly settlement reached between the parties. It is satisfied that the settlement is based on respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto and finds no reasons to justify a continued examination of the applications.
In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the cases out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 39 of the Convention.
Done in English and notified in writing on 21 September 2023.
Viktoriya Maradudina Faris Vehabović
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention
(excessive length of civil proceedings)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Other complaints under well-established case-law
Date of receipt of Government’s declaration
Date of receipt of Applicant’s declaration
Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage
per applicant
(in euros)[1]
Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application
(in euros)[2]
44328/18
10/09/2018
Alda Maria ALVES FERREIRA
1959
19/06/2023
09/02/2023
22,000
-
25234/21
10/05/2021
(3 applicants)
Maria Ângela PEREIRA GOMES DA COSTA TORRES
1957
Andreia Cláudia DA COSTA TORRES
1982
Daniela Maria DA COSTA TORRES
1987
João Mariz
Póvoa de Varzim
Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of excessive length of civil proceedings
19/06/2023
18/05/2023
16,900
250
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.