Reopening of a proceedings on the ground of newly discovered considerations (an evaluative summary of the latest practice of lithuanian courts)

Reopening of proceedings is a procedural stage of fundamental imporatance ensuring that no baseless or illegitimate judicial decisions would be neglected in the legal system when newly discovered considerations of such great importance appear that known before would have resulted the opposite decision in the case. It should be noted that legal regulation of this institute was constantly changing, reopening of proceedings was considered to be part of cassation institute for a long time which was inappropriate to its essence and purpose. The conception of newly discovered consideration was also constantly changing. After reopening of proceedings has been separated from cassation into separate institute and the new legal regulation was based, there arises the necessity to analyse the application of reopening of proceedings to practice and its attendant problems. The analysis of the latest practise of Lithanian courts shows that the conception of newly discovered consideration is being practised diversely, the same facts are being judged differently. Mainstream tendention noticed in the decisions of the courts is to extend the conception of newly discovered conception ungroundedly – in some cases the essence of analysed institute is being denied fundamentally. Comprehensive investigation is made on the opportunities of declarants to overuse and delay the civil proceedings, and also practicable chances to defend their violated rights. The research is also made to estimate if the shortened terms of the motion for the reopening of proceedings are effective and adequate to the legal reality of the country. Arising problems in practise of the courts encourages to search for possible ways of solution by improving legal regulation and by setting steady unvaried criterions in the application and interpretation of legal acts. Some ideas for improvement of analysed institute derive from the investigation of the civil acts of some prospective countries