THIRD SECTION
CASE OF MARIN TEODORESCU AND OTHERS v. ROMANIA
(Applications nos. 23777/06, 41239/07, 9129/09, 24290/12, 35520/13, 48755/13 and 56851/13)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
22 October 2015
This judgment is final. It may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Marin Teodorescu and Others v. Romania,
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Valeriu Grițco, President,
Branco Lubarda,
Mārtiņš Mits, judges,
and Karen Reid, Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 1 October 2015,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in applications against Romania lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table.
2. The applications were communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”).
THE FACTS
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
3. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.
4. The applicants complained of the excessive length of civil proceedings. In some of the applications, the applicants also raised complaints under other provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW
I. JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
II. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION
6. The applicants complained that the length of the civil proceedings in question had been incompatible with the “reasonable time” requirement. They relied on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, which reads as follows:
Article 6 § 1
“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ... everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...”
7. The Court reiterates that the reasonableness of the length of proceedings must be assessed in the light of the circumstances of the case and with reference to the following criteria: the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicants and the relevant authorities and what was at stake for the applicants in the dispute (see Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII).
8. In the leading case of Vlad and Others v. Romania, nos. 40756/06, 41508/07 and 50806/07, 26 November 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
9. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the proceedings was excessive and failed to meet the “reasonable time” requirement.
10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.
III. REMAINING COMPLAINTS
11. Some applicants raised other complaints under various Articles of the Convention.
12. The Court has examined the applications listed in the appended table and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms set out in the Convention or the Protocols thereto.
It follows that this part of the applications is manifestly ill-founded and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the Convention.
IV. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
13. Article 41 of the Convention provides:
“If the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.”
14. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see Vlad and Others v. Romania, cited above, §§ 166-173), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
15. The Court considers it appropriate that the default interest rate should be based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to which should be added three percentage points.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
1. Decides to join the applications;
2. Declares the complaints concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings admissible and the remainder of the applications inadmissible;
3. Holds that there has been a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention;
4. Holds
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 22 October 2015, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Karen ReidValeriu Grițco
RegistrarPresident
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 name
Date of birth
Representative name and location
Start of proceedings
End of proceedings
Total length
Levels of jurisdiction
Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage
per applicant/ household
(in euros)[1]
Amount awarded for costs and expenses
per application
(in euros)[2]
23777/06
29/05/2006
Marin TEODORESCU
17/07/1951
(the applicant died in the course of the proceedings before the Court; the application was pursued by his heirs Elena TEODORESCU, Ionela Cristina TEODORESCU, Gheroghe Adrian TEODORESCU and Aurelian TEODORESCU)
Elena TEODORESCU
Lădești, Vâlcea
27/10/2000
23/01/2007
6 years and 3 months
3 levels of jurisdiction
500
-
41239/07
11/09/2007
Floare ȚIȚ
28/04/1935
Teodora COLOJA
Bihor
24/01/1995
15/03/2007
12 years and 1 month
3 levels of jurisdiction
2,520
350
9129/09
04/02/2009
Aurel ISCRU
01/04/1950
-
25/01/2005
pending
10 years and 6 months
1 level of jurisdiction
1,000
15
24290/12
11/04/2012
Virgil RADU
31/08/1951
-
01/06/2004
12/10/2011
7 years and 4 months
2 levels of jurisdiction
1,800
-
35520/13
23/04/2013
Dorina EPURAN
24/08/1957
Andreea Cosmina BĂDÎRCĂ
Timișoara
29/10/2007
24/10/2012
4 years and 11 months
2 levels of jurisdiction
1,200
880
48755/13
17/07/2013
Household
Teofil HAICA
30/04/1948
Adriana Florica HAICA
04/03/1960
-
24/01/2005
17/01/2013
7 years and 11 months
3 levels of jurisdiction
840
-
56851/13
26/08/2013
Măndița JUGĂNARU
22/09/1942
-
24/01/2008
17/04/2013
5 years and 2 months
2 levels of jurisdiction
1,200
-
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy