4.  The applicant was born in 1951 and lives in Kharkiv. 5.  On 7 February 1994 he lodged a claim with the Kyivskyy District Court of Kharkiv (“the District Court”) against two companies and a local institute, by which he sought to be provided with a flat. 6.  On 31 March 1995 the above court partly allowed the claim and ordered the institute to provide the applicant with a flat. On 16 May 1995 the Kharkiv Regional Court upheld that judgment. 7.  On 20 September 1995, 26 February 1996, 17 November 1999 and 10 December 2001 the District Court delivered additional judgments in the case. On 17 October 1995, 19 July 1996, 29 September 2000 and 13 March 2002, respectively, the Kharkiv Regional Court and the Kharkiv Regional Court of Appeal quashed those judgments and remitted the case for fresh examination. 8.  On 11 June 2002 the applicant lodged an appeal in cassation against the ruling of 13 March 2002. On 10 March 2003 the District Court requested the applicant to lodge it in accordance with the procedural requirements. Following that, on 3 March 2004 the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of 13 March 2002. 9.  On 2 December 2004 the District Court delivered the additional judgment in the case. On 9 February 2005 and 18 January 2008, respectively, the Kharkiv Regional Court of Appeal and the Lugansk Regional Court of Appeal (the latter court acting as a court of cassation) upheld it. 10.  In the course of the proceedings fifteen hearings were adjourned due to the respondents’ failure to appear, due to the illness or absence of a judge or for unspecified reasons. One forensic examination was ordered (between 15 October 1997 and 9 August 1999).