CEDH · CASELAW;CLIN;ENG — 27 août 1991

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .sD4B5322E { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:justify } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sA241FE93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:18pt; text-align:justify; page-break-after:avoid; border-bottom:0.75pt solid #000000; padding-bottom:1pt } .s2EF62ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s8F2B0B1B { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:12pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .s9FF10068 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:12pt } .sEB86A30B { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:14pt; page-break-after:avoid } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s5F48796F { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s85F2E5C5 { width:30.44pt; display:inline-block } .s6863D229 { width:26pt; display:inline-block } .sBDAE81C4 { width:27.67pt; display:inline-block } .sC7C396CD { width:24.89pt; display:inline-block } .sE4E38D5F { width:23.77pt; display:inline-block } .s49A78FE0 { width:26.55pt; display:inline-block } .s8B6C6D43 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; border-bottom:1pt solid #000000; padding-bottom:1pt } .sDF790F1E { margin-top:12pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s3DC36BA9 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline; color:#0069d6 } Information Note on the Court’s case-law No. August 1991 Philis v. Greece (no. 1) - 13780/88, 12750/87 and 14003/88 Judgment 27.8.1991 Article 6 Article 6-1 Access to court Access to civil courts for recovery of fees owed by public corporations: 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 A.   Access to a court "Right to a court" guaranteed by Article 6 – right of access constituting one aspect of this – subject to limitations, but these must not impair its very essence. Undeniable advantages of the subrogation system – ambiguous wording of paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 2 of the Royal Decree – taken literally they seem to give the Technical Chamber of Greece (T.E.E.) exclusive capacity to take legal proceedings on behalf of the engineer – practice consistent with this interpretation and confirmed by prevailing case-law. Intervention and third party objection: possible only after proceedings instituted by T.E.E. – action for damages: only allows compensation to be sought – subrogation action: general provision of Article   72 of the Code of Civil Procedure not overriding specific provision of Article 2 §   4 of the Royal Decree. Applicant unable to take direct independent action to seek payment from his clients (even to the T.E.E. in the first instance) of his fees – hence impairment of very essence of his "right to a court". Conclusion : violation (eight votes to one). B.   Length of proceedings Not necessary to consider the complaint. Conclusion : no examination called for (unanimously). II.   ARTICLE 13 OF THE CONVENTION Requirements of Article 13 less strict than, and here absorbed by, those of Article   6. Conclusion : no examination called for (unanimously). III.   ARTICLE 14 IN CONJUNCTION WITH ARTICLE 6 OF THE CONVENTION Not necessary to examine the complaint. Conclusion : no examination called for (unanimously). IV.   ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION A.   Damage Pecuniary damage: no causal link with the violation found – claim dismissed. Non-pecuniary damage: compensation awarded. B.   Costs and expenses relating to proceedings brought by the T.E.E. or the applicant against various clients, also those incurred before the Convention institutions: reimbursement. Conclusion : respondent State to pay specified amounts for non-pecuniary damage and costs (unanimously).   © Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court. Click here for the Case-Law Information Notes