CEDH · CASELAW;CLIN;ENG — 29 novembre 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 } .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 } .sBDAE81C4 { width:27.67pt; 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. November-December 1991 Vermeire v. Belgium - 12849/87 Judgment 29.11.1991 Article 14 Discrimination Granddaughter excluded from the estates of her deceased grandparents because of the "illegitimate" nature of the kinship: 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 14 IN CONJUNCTION WITH ARTICLE 8 OF THE CONVENTION Principle of legal certainty: Belgian State dispensed from reopening legal acts or situations antedating the delivery of the Marckx judgment of 13   June 1979 – here one of the applicant's grandparents deceased before, one after that date. Grandmother's estate: succession took place on her death, 16   January 1975 – effects of distribution relating back to the death – legal situation antedating 13   June 1979. Conclusion : no need to reopen the situation (eight votes to one). Grandfather's estate – Marckx judgment relating to facts so close to those of the present case that its findings applied equally to the succession in issue, which took place after 13   June 1979: total lack of succession rights on intestacy solely on the grounds of the "illegitimate" nature of the kinship is discriminatory. Rule forbidding discrimination against the applicant on the grounds of the "illegitimate" nature of the kinship between her and the deceased: not so imprecise or incomplete as to prevent the domestic courts from following it. Freedom of choice allowed to a State as to the means of fulfilling its obligation under Article   53: cannot allow it to suspend application of the Convention while waiting for legislative reform to be completed. Conclusion : violation (unanimously). II.   ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION Question reserved (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