6.  The applicants were born in 1936 and 1958 respectively and live in Brwinow, Poland. 7.  On 11 May 1989 the applicants filed with the Pruszków District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) an action in which they claimed the payment by an enterprise Z.R.B. run by a local State authority of the agreed price for their transportation services. 8.  On 5 November 1990 the court awarded them the amount claimed. The defendant's representative lodged an appeal. 9.  On 27 March 1991 the Warsaw Regional Court (Sąd Wojewódzki) quashed the District Court's judgment and remitted the case for re-examination. 10.  On 5 June 1991 the District Court summoned the Brwinów commune's board (zarząd miasta i gminy), the self-governmental successor of the local State authority that had run enterprise Z.R.B., to take part in the proceedings as the defendant. 11.  On 2 August 1999 the court gave judgment. It awarded the applicants the amount claimed by them. They appealed. 12.  On 7 April 2000 the Warsaw Regional Court dismissed their appeal.