Hausfeld Pairs Up With Madrid Firm To Target Milk Cartel

Hausfeld has expanded its international footprint into the Iberian Peninsula with the announcement of a collaboration with Spanish independent Eskariam. 

The two firms will work together on joint follow-on litigation in relation to the 2019 Spanish milk cartel, which saw Spanish competition regulators fine ten cartelists, including leading international brands Danone and Nestlé, a total of €80 million (US$90.7 million), for their involvement in an illegal cartel that lasted thirteen years from 2000 onwards. 

The regulator found that both Spanish and international milk companies had exchanged information on a range of commercially inappropriate areas, including purchase prices, purchase volumes, and milk surpluses – ensuring that the price of milk was massaged by between 10-12% at any one time.

Lianne Craig, head of Hausfeld’s commercial disputes team, said, “We see Spain as one of the next frontiers for competition damages claims in Europe.

“The Milk Cartel case is a legally compelling case that will be highly significant both in terms of the overall damages being sought by the farmers and the potential to further shape the developing landscape for cartel damages claims in Spain.”

Full Content: Global Legal Post

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