8.  The applicant was born in 1948 and lives in Pobiedziska, Poland. 9.  On 11 October 1978 the applicant and the Pobiedziska Municipal Cooperative, “Samopomoc Chłopska”, entered into a contract under which the cooperative was to install central heating, electrical, water and sewage systems in the applicant’s house. Under the terms of the contract, the contractor was to complete these works by 30 May 1979, but it failed to meet that deadline.
The applicant on two occasions sued the cooperative seeking payment of damages for the defects in the works carried out under the contract. The proceedings were terminated on 1 June 1993 and 5 December 1994, respectively. 10.  On 4 November 1995 the applicant, for the third time, sued the cooperative in the Gniezno District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) seeking 10,000 PLN in damages. The applicant asked the court to exempt him from the court fees and grant him legal assistance. On 24 November 1995 he asked the court to order the defendant to secure the claim by an unspecified guarantee. 11.  On 13 December 1995 the Gniezno District Court refused to exempt the applicant from the court fees. On 29 January 1996, on the applicant’s further appeal, the Gniezno District Court exempted him from the court fees and appointed a legal aid counsel for him. 12.  On 1 April 1996 the Gniezno District Court dismissed the applicant’s motion to secure the claim, as he had failed to submit the required information (numbers of land and mortgage registers). 13.  At the hearing on 18 July 1996 the court obliged the applicant’s lawyer to specify within a time-limit of 20 days the damages sought on pain of staying the proceedings. As the applicant’s lawyer failed to comply with this order, the court stayed the proceedings on 12 August 1996. The applicant appealed. On 15 November 1996 the Poznań Regional Court (Sąd Wojewódzki) quashed the decision of 12 August 1996 and resumed the proceedings. 14.  Subsequently, the applicant submitted the required information. On 28 April 1997 the Gniezno District Court secured the applicant’s claim. On 22 September 1997, upon the defendant’s further appeal, the Poznań Regional Court quashed that decision and remitted the case. On 18 December 1997 the Gniezno District Court dismissed the applicant’s motion to secure the claim. 15.  On 19 December 1997 the applicant increased the amount of damages claimed (to 100,000 PLN). Consequently, the Gniezno District Court no longer had jurisdiction over the subject matter and the case was referred to the Poznań Regional Court. 16.  On 29 January 1998 the Minister of Justice informed the applicant that the proceedings would be supervised by the President of the Poznań Regional Court. 17.  On 2 September 1998 the applicant lodged a further application for his claim to be secured. On 3 September 1998 the Poznań Regional Court dismissed his application and stayed the proceedings. The applicant appealed on 14 September 1998. On 13 November 1998 the Poznań Court of Appeal dismissed his appeal. On 29 December 1998, the applicant again asked the court to secure the claim. On 22 January 1999 the Regional Court dismissed his appeal on the ground that the applicant had not yet substantiated his claim. 18.  On 5 March 1999 the trial court resumed the proceedings. Subsequently, on 2 April 1999 the applicant was exempted from court fees. On 10 May 1999 he was granted legal aid. 19.  In his letter of 28 May 2003 the applicant informed the Court that the proceedings were still pending before the Poznań Regional Court. 20.  On 10 September 2003 the Poznań Regional Court gave judgment. 21.  On 3 December 2003 the applicant lodged an appeal against this judgment. It appears that the proceedings are pending before the Poznań Court of Appeal.