4.  The applicant was born in 1952 and lives in Girnyy. 5.  In 1999 a medical commission established that the applicant had lost 40% of his working ability due to an occupational disease received during his work in coal mines. 6.  In January 2000 the applicant instituted civil proceedings in the Leninskyy District Court of Kirovograd (“the Leninskyy Court”) against his former employers, two coal mining companies, seeking recovery of the occupational disability allowance. 7.  On 6 March 2009, following two remittals of the case to the first-instance court for fresh examination, the proceedings were completed by a final ruling of the Supreme Court rejecting the applicant’s request for leave to appeal in cassation. As a result, the applicant’s claim was allowed in part. 8.  In early April 2009 the above ruling was served on the applicant. 9.  According to the Government, the proceedings were delayed for a year and three months due to financial expert examinations conducted three times at the applicant’s request and for six months due to some procedural flaws in his appeals which had to be rectified. 10.  Being an owner of a land plot, the applicant was a member of a gardening society, a non-profit organisation taking care of the area in question. 11.  In October 2006 he instituted civil proceedings in the Leninskyy Court against the aforementioned society considering that it had not complied with its duties. 12.  By their decisions of 19 April, 18 May and 17 December 2007, the Leninskyy Court, the Kirovograd Regional Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, respectively, found against the applicant.