St. Petersburg Magistrate Court Rejects 1929-Ruble ($20) Claim

On February 2, the united press service of the city courts of St. Petersburg reported that the magistrate court considered a lawsuit from the City Information and Calculation Center (GIRC) against 84-year-old pensioner Lyubov.

The institution sought to recover 1929 rubles and 3 kopecks (about $20) from the woman for received benefits on housing and utility payments.

According to GIRC, the pensioner lost the right to this social support after being deregistered and registered at a new address in the Nevsky District.

The court conveyed the plaintiff«s position: »The defendant lost the right to receive housing and utility benefits because she was deregistered in St. Petersburg.«

During the proceedings, it was revealed that the woman had timely notified the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian Pension Fund about her move.

At the same time, no data confirming her residence outside the city was submitted to the court.

The court decision noted: «The fact that the defendant did not file a separate application with the St. Petersburg social protection authorities does not in itself indicate her bad faith, since... the St. Petersburg authorities had reliable information about the defendant»s new place of residence and should have timely updated their databases, including the database of recipients of housing subsidies and payments.«

The court also took into account that recovering the specified amount (about $20) would put the pensioner in an extremely difficult financial situation, which contradicts the legislative goals of supporting elderly people.

As a result, the magistrate court denied GIRC«s lawsuit to recover 1929 rubles and 3 kopecks (about $20) from the 84-year-old pensioner.