CERNIUS AND RINKEVICIUS v. LITHUANIA - 73579/17 (Judgment : Right to a fair trial : Second Section)

Art 6 (civil) • Access to court • Individual and excessive burden on applicants as a result of domestic courts� refusal to reimburse legal costs incurred in successful litigation for lifting fines • Pecuniary loss from litigation costs substantially exceeding the amount of fines imposed • Domestic courts� failure to carry out proportionality assessment • Litigation costs not excessive

This judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44 � 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.

The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:

��������� Robert Spano, President, ��������� Marko Bo�njak, ��������� Egidijus Kūris, ��������� Ivana Jelić, ��������� Arnfinn B�rdsen, ��������� Darian Pavli, ��������� Peeter Roosma, judges, and Stanley Naismith, Section Registrar,

The case originated in two applications (nos. 73579/17 and 14620/18) against the Republic of Lithuania lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (�the Convention�) by two Lithuanian nationals, Mr Irmantas Černius (hereinafter, �the first applicant�) and Mr Andrejus Rinkevičius (hereinafter, �the second applicant�), on 9 October 2017 and 20 March 2018, respectively.