4.  The applicant was born in 1954 and lives in Zagreb. 5.  On 21 November 2005 Ms M.S. brought a civil action against the applicant in the Rab Municipal Court (Općinski sud u Rabu) seeking that the loan agreement concluded between her and the applicant be declared null and void. The plaintiff’s statement of claim was served on the applicant on 12 January 2006. 6.  On 16 May 2007 the Supreme Court (Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske) ordered that the case be transferred to the Rijeka Municipal Court (Općinski sud u R ijeci). 7.  On 30 September 2011 the Rijeka Municipal Court delivered a judgment ruling for the plaintiff in part. 8.  Following appeals by both parties, on 5 September 2012 the Rijeka County Court (Županijski sud u Rijeci) quashed the first-instance judgment and remitted the case. 9.  The proceedings are currently again pending before the Rijeka Municipal Court. 10.  Meanwhile, on 19 March 2009 the applicant lodged a request for the protection of the right to a hearing within a reasonable time (zahtjev za zaštitu prava na suđenje u razumnom roku) with the Rijeka County Court, complaining about the length of the above civil proceedings. 11.  On 14 May 2009 the Rijeka County Court found a violation of the applicant’s right to a hearing within a reasonable time, awarded him 4,000[1] Croatian kunas (HRK) in compensation and ordered the Rijeka Municipal Court to give a decision in the applicant’s case within ten months of service of its decision. According to the Government, the County Court’s decision was served on the Rijeka Municipal Court on the same day. 12.  On 31 August 2009 the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the applicant and upheld the first-instance decision. The Supreme Court’s decision was served on the applicant’s representative on 14 October 2009.