5.  The applicant was born in 1941 and lives in Klimovsk in the Moscow Region. 6.  In February 1999 the applicant brought an action against the Moscow Region health department, seeking to declare invalid some data in his medical records. The disputed information related to the applicant’s degree of disability and affected his pension entitlement and fitness for work. 7.  On 1 September 1999 the Presnenskiy District Court of Moscow dismissed the applicant’s claims. 8.  On 10 September 1999 the applicant filed an appeal. The appeal hearing was listed for 28 March 2000. 9.  On 20 March 2000 the applicant was admitted to a hospital for inpatient treatment. On 27 March 2000 his acquaintance asked the Moscow City Court, by a telegram sent on the applicant’s behalf, for an adjournment of the hearing. The Government denied that the telegram had been sent. 10.  On 28 March 2000 the Moscow City Court adjourned the appeal hearing until 4 April 2000. The Government submitted that the hearing had been adjourned because there had been no information that the applicant had been duly summoned. 11.  On 30 March 2000 the Moscow City Court mailed to the applicant a new summons for the hearing listed for 4 April. According to the postmark, it reached the applicant’s address on 5 April. 12.  On 4 April 2000 the Moscow City Court examined the appeal and rejected it. Neither party was present. 13.  On 7 April 2000 the applicant left the hospital. 14.  On 31 August 2000 the Moscow City Court informed the applicant that his appeal had been rejected on 4 April 2000.