Hearing affliction (5)
I believe the answer is:
trial
I believe this is a double definition.
'hearing' is the first definition.
(as in a court case)
'affliction' is the second definition.
(I know that trial is a type of affliction)
(Other definitions for trial that I've seen before include "Experiment - adversity" , "French actor who sings" , "Suffering - litigation" , "pain in the neck" , "Test to determine guilt or innocence" .)