Petition for change of venue (strămutare) in civil proceedings; refusal to transfer jurisdiction.

The Supreme Court of Romania dismissed the petition for change of venue (strămurare) filed by the applicant, with no avenue for appeal, effectively leaving the jurisdiction of the Alba Iulia Court of Appeal intact for the underlying civil proceeding (Case No. 1145/57/2011), where the next hearing was scheduled for June 14, 2012. The dispute concerned a procedural motion to transfer the trial due to alleged grounds requiring a different competent court, filed against the respondents including a limited liability company and the county pension house, with the public prosecutor requesting rejection. The court’s decision relied on the procedural provisions governing change of venue petitions, finding no legal basis to alter the established jurisdiction despite the procedural diligence in service and timbrage, thereby maintaining the status quo for the pending civil litigation.