4.  The applicant, who is a Croatian national was born in 1957 and lives in Zadar, Croatia. 5.  On 16 July 1996 the applicant brought a civil action against the company Z. in the Zadar Municipal Court (Općinski sud u Zadru) challenging her dismissal from work and seeking salary arrears. 6.  The court held six hearings and on 10 October 1997 dismissed the action. The applicant appealed. 7.  On 15 March 2000 the Zadar County Court (Županijski sud u Zadru) quashed the impugned judgment and remitted the case to the court of first instance. 8.  In the resumed proceedings, the Zadar Municipal Court held six hearings and on 16 April 2003 stayed the proceedings (prekid postupka) because the bankruptcy proceedings had meanwhile been opened against the defendant. 9.  On 14 July 2003 the Municipal Court found that it no longer had jurisdiction in the matter because of the opening of the bankruptcy proceedings and transferred the case to the Zadar Commercial Court (Trgovački sud u Zadru). The Commercial Court held three hearings and on 1 June 2004 adopted a judgment. The applicant appealed to the High Commercial Court (Visoki trgovački sud Republike Hrvatske). 10.  On 3 May 2006 the applicant lodged a request for the protection of the right to a hearing within a reasonable time with the Supreme Court (Vrhovni sud Republike Hrvatske). 11.  On 12 September 2006 the High Commercial Court quashed the first-instance judgment and remitted the case. In the resumed proceedings the Zadar Commercial Court gave its judgment on 6 February 2007 against which both parties appealed to the High Commercial Court. 12.  On 6 March 2007 the Supreme Court found a violation of the applicant's right to a hearing within a reasonable time and attributed delays in the proceedings to the inefficiency of the Zadar Municipal Court and the High Commercial Court. It awarded the applicant 15,000 Croatian kuna in compensation and ordered the High Commercial Court to give a decision in the applicant's case within one month following the service of its decision. The Supreme Court's decision was served on the High Commercial Court on 2 July 2007, although the latter already gave its decision in that case (see § 11 above). 13.  On 26 September 2007 the High Commercial Court quashed the first-instance judgment of 6 February 2007 and remitted the case. On 22 January 2009 the Zadar Commercial Court gave its judgment against which both parties appealed to the High Commercial Court. 14.  On 7 October 2009 the High Commercial Court upheld the first instance judgment in part and in the remaining part quashed and remitted to the Zadar Commercial Court before which the proceedings are currently pending.