Key legal question
Whether the cantonal court could refuse the insured's request for a public hearing under Art. 6 ECHR
Extracted holding
No. In a social-insurance dispute over disability benefits with a timely and clear request, none of the exceptions to a public hearing applied.
Extracted reasoning
The case was not frivolous, dilatory, inadmissible, or obvious on the merits, and the medical issues were not so technically complex as to justify dispensing with an oral public hearing. The refusal breached the procedural guarantee of Art. 6 ECHR.