Gleiss Lutz successfully defends Südzucker AG against damages claims filed by Retail Cartel Damage Claims SA (CDC) in connection with “sugar cartel”

A team of Gleiss Lutz lawyers has successfully defended Südzucker AG in the 18th civil division of Hanover Regional Court in proceedings concerning claims for damages in connection with the “sugar cartel”. 

Direct and indirect sugar customers assigned their claims running into the hundreds of millions to the plaintiff, Retail Cartel Damage Claims (CDC), which sued for the damages. Sugar producers Nordzucker and Pfeifer & Langen were also sued alongside Südzucker AG. The plaintiff is of the opinion that the companies whose claims it was assigned have been paying inflated prices for household and industrial sugar for years on account of the antitrust violations committed by the three producers and sanctioned by the Federal Cartel Office in 2014. The court of first instance has now dismissed the claims on the grounds that the assignments are null and void by reason of a number of violations of the Legal Services Act.

The following Gleiss Lutz team advised Südzucker AG in the proceedings: Dr. Wolfgang Bosch (partner), Dr. Alexander Fritzsche (partner), Dr. Birgit Colbus (counsel, all lead), Dr. Saskia Kirchgeßner, Dr. Sarah Zinndorf and Dr. Kristina Sirakova (all Competition/Antitrust, Frankfurt).