4.  The applicant was born in 1952 and lives in Kyiv. 5.  On 1 December 1993 he lodged a claim with the domestic courts against four private individuals in a dispute over inheritance. 6.  On 6 November 2001 the Svyatoshynskyy District Court of Kyiv (“the District Court”) rejected the claim as unsubstantiated. 7.  On 14 January 2002, following the applicant’s failure to lodge his appeal against the above judgment in accordance with the procedural requirements, the District Court returned it unexamined. 8.  On 21 August 2002, following the applicant’s failure to lodge his appeal against the ruling of 14 January 2002 in accordance with the procedural requirements, the District Court returned it unexamined. 9.  On 13 September 2002, following the applicant’s failure to lodge his appeal against the ruling of 21 August 2002 in accordance with the procedural requirements, the District Court returned it unexamined. On 30 March 2005 and 14 July 2006 respectively, the Kyiv City Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of 13 September 2002. 10.  According to the Government, in the course of the proceedings the applicant amended his claim on two occasions. The courts adjourned twelve hearings following the applicant’s requests or due to his and other parties’ failure to appear. The applicant stated that he had not been duly informed of one of the hearings. The above delays on the applicant’s part protracted the proceedings by approximately ten months. Some thirty five hearings were further adjourned following other parties’ requests, their failure to appear, due to the absence of a judge or for unspecified reasons.