Information Note on the Court’s case-law No.
February 1991
Zanghì v. Italy - 11491/85
Judgment 19.2.1991
Article 6
Article 6-1
Reasonable time
Length of civil proceedings: violation
[This summary is extracted from the Court’s official reports (Series A or Reports of Judgments and Decisions). Its formatting and structure may therefore differ from the Case-Law Information Note summaries.]
I.ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION ("reasonable time")
A.Period to be considered
Proceedings instituted nearly nine years earlier and still pending.
B.Relevant criteria
Reasonableness of length of proceedings: to be assessed in light of particular circumstances of case, which in this instance called for an overall assessment.
Case not complex.
Conclusion: violation (unanimously).
II.ARTICLE 1 OF PROTOCOL No. 1
Conclusion: unnecessary to consider complaint (unanimously).
III.ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION
Damage and costs and expenses relating to breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention: applicant waived any claim.
Pecuniary damage resulting from alleged breach of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1: claim for compensation – dismissed, as still possible that national courts would make reparation for financial consequences of failing to try case within a reasonable time.
Court had no jurisdiction to indicate to respondent State measures to remedy dilatoriness alleged to be characteristic of its administration of justice.
Conclusion: claim for just satisfaction dismissed as matters stood (unanimously).
© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights
This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
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