Information Note on the Court’s case-law 17
April 2000
S.A.GE.MA S.N.C. v. Italy - 40184/98
Judgment 27.4.2000 [Section II]
Article 6
Civil proceedings
Article 6-1
Reasonable time
Length of civil proceedings following the finding of a violation due to the length: violation
The case concerns the length of proceedings. In an earlier application to the European Commission of Human Rights (no. 23473/94), the Commission had already found a violation of Article 6 because the applicant had not had its case examined within a reasonable time. The present application therefore concerns primarily the period after 17 January 1995. The proceedings therefore lasted 2 years and 6 months, for two levels of jurisdiction. While this period does not appear excessive in itself, it follows a rather long overall period which had already been found to constitute a violation.
Conclusion: violation (6 votes to 1).
Article 41 - The Court awarded the applicant 6 million lire (ITL) in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights
This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
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