In the case of Van den Kerkhof v. Belgium, the Court held that there had been a violation of the right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

The case concerned the length of civil proceedings, pending before a court of the Brussels judicial district, that were brought by the applicant against the vendors of a flat and the real estate agency that had served as an intermediary for the sale.

The Court held that the applicant’s case had not been heard within a reasonable time, noting that seven years and eight months had elapsed for two levels of jurisdiction and that the proceedings were still pending before the French-Language Brussels Court of First Instance.

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