THIRD SECTION

CASE OF GORBUNOVY AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA

( Application s no s . 6511/08 and 7 others -

see appended list )

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

30 November 2017

This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.

In the case of Gorbunovy and Others v. Russia ,

The European Court of Human Rights ( Third Section ), sitting as a Committee composed of:

Luis López Guerra, President, Dmitry Dedov , Jolien Schukking , judges, and Liv Tigerstedt , Acting Deputy Section Registrar ,

Having deliberated in private on 9 November 2017 ,

Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:

PROCEDURE

1. The case originated in applications against Russia 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 Russian Government (“the Government”).

THE FACTS

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 domestic courts ’ failure to ensure their participation in hearings in the civil proceedings to which they were parties .

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. THE GOVERNMENT ’ S REQUEST TO STRIKE OUT THE APPLICATIONS UNDER ARTICLE 37 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION

6. The Government submitted unilateral declaration in respect of all of these cases which did not offer a sufficient basis for finding that respect for human rights as defined in the Convention does not require the Court to continue its examination of the case (Article 37 § 1 in fine). The Court rejects the Government ’ s request to strike the applications out and will accordingly pursue its examination of the cases (see Tahsin Acar v. Turkey (preliminary objections) [GC], no. 26307/95, § 75, ECHR 2003 ‑ VI).

III. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION

7. The applicants complained that their right to a fair hearing had been breached on account of the domestic courts ’ failure to properly and timely notify them of hearings in the civil proceedings to which they were parties. 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 ...”

8. The Court observes that the general principles regarding the right to present one ’ s case effectively before the court and to enjoy equality of arms with the opposing side, as guaranteed by Article 6 of the Convention, have been stated in a number of its previous judgments (see, among many other authorities, Steel and Morris v. the United Kingdom , no. 68416/01, §§ 59-60, ECHR 2005-II).

9. The applicants alleged that they had not received the summonses and/or were not informed in due time of the date and place of hearings in their cases. The Court reiterates that domestic courts must make reasonable efforts to summon the parties to a hearing (see Kolegovy v. Russia , no. 15226/05, § 42, 1 March 2012, and Babunidze v. Russia ( dec. ), no. 3040/03, 15 May 2007). Litigants must also take appropriate measures to ensure effective receipt of correspondence the domestic courts may send them (see Perihan and Mezopotamya Basın Yayın A.Ş. v. Turkey , no. 21377/03, § 38, 21 January 2014; Boyko v. Ukraine ( dec. ), no. 17382/04, 23 October 2007; and Darnay v. Hungary , no. 36524/97, Commission decision of 16 April 1998). Moreover, the Court has noted that a lack or deficiency of reasons in domestic decisions as regards the proof of receipt of summonses by the applicants, as well as the domestic courts ’ failure to assess the necessity to adjourn hearings pending the applicants ’ proper notification or to delve on the nature of their legal claims which could have rendered the applicants ’ presence unnecessary cannot be made up ex post facto in the Court proceedings, for it cannot take the place of the national courts which had the evidence before them (see Gankin and Others, nos. 2430/06 and 3 others , §§ 41-42, 31 May 2016 ).

10. In the leading case of Gankin and Others v. Russia, cited above, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.

11. Having examined all the material submitted to it and lacking any evidence of proper notification of the applicants, 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 finds that by proceeding to consider the merits of the applicants ’ cases without attempting to ascertain whether they had been or should have been at least aware of the date and time of the hearings, and, if they had not, whether the hearings should have been adjourned, the domestic courts deprived the applicants of the opportunity to present their cases effectively and fell short of their obligation to respect the principle of fair trial enshrined in Article 6 of the Convention.

12. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 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, 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. Rejects the Government ’ s request to strike the applications out of the list;

3. Declares the applications admissible;

4. Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the unfairness of the civil proceedings ;

5. 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 30 November 2017 , pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

Liv Tigerstedt Luis López Guerra Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention

( applicant ’ s absence from civil proceedings )

No.

Application no.

Date of introduction

Applicant name

Date of birth

Representative name and location

Nature of the dispute

First-instance hearing date

Court

Appeal hearing date

Court

Amount awarded non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant /household

(in euros) [1]

6511/08

14/12/2007

Household

Larisa Anatolyevna Gorbunova

07/06/1971

Artem Sergeyevich Gorbunov

Gandzyuk Viktor Vasilyevich

Moscow

housing dispute

06/07/2007

Zheleznodorozhnyy District Court of Ryazan

15/08/2007

Ryazan Regional Court

1,500

5048/09

06/11/2008

Andrey Aleksandrovich Troshchenko

18/10/1964

land dispute and a non-pecuniary damages claim against a third person

25/06/2008

Adler Town Court of the Krasnodar Region

21/08/2008

Krasnodar regional Court

1,500

9571/09

09/02/2009

Dmitriy Valeryevich Alekseyev

26/07/1982

challenge against dismissal

03/07/2008

Pskov Town Court of the Pskov Region

19/08/2008

Pskov Regional Court

1,500

16662/09

26/02/2009

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Naumkin

25/04/1947

challenge against a decision by the Qualification Board of Judges

04/06/2008

Supreme Court of Russia

28/08/2008

Cassation Board of the Supreme Court of Russia

1,500

21338/09

23/03/2009

Vladimir Vasilyevich Baranov

pecuniary and non-pecuniary damages for impounding of a badly parked vehicle

23/04/2008

Justice of the Peace no. 27 of the Oktyabrskiy District of Samara

02/10/2008

Oktyabrskiy District Court of Samara

1,500

34119/09

08/06/2009

Andrey Innokentyevich Yarygin

06/12/1981

non-pecuniary damages in an employment dispute

20/11/2008

Kotlas Town Court of the Arkhangelsk Region

15/01/2009

Arkhangelsk Regional Court

1,500

1121/10

11/11/2009

Tamara Aleksandrovna Volodina

19/07/1953

shared property dispute

02/09/2009

Kropotkin Town Court of the Krasnodar Region

06/10/2009

Krasnodar Regional Court

1,500

11481/10

12/01/2010

Ilya Ivanovich Karabanov

10/12/1958

defamation proceedings

27/10/2009

Krasnoarmeyskiy District Court of Volgograd

15/01/2010

Volgograd Regional Court

1,500

[1] . Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.