Following the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to reject the appeal of truck manufacturer Scania, the German association BGL e.V. is preparing another class action lawsuit against the truck manufacturer cartel. The association is working together with the legal service provider Truck ReClaim and the law firms Hausfeld and Kapellmann, as well as the logistics associations AMÖ, BWVL and DSLV.
Victims of price-fixing by truck manufacturers have until the end of April to join the lawsuit against Scania. Registration should take place via the online platform www.truckreclaim.com. Companies based in other EU states may also join the action.
“The recent decision of the European Court of Justice against truck manufacturer Scania (case reference: C-251/22 P) has opened the way for another lawsuit against the cartel. Legal services provider Truck ReClaim is legally represented by the law firm Hausfeld and the law firm Kapellmann. As part of this new alliance, the Federal Association of Furniture Forwarding (AMÖ) e.V., the Federal Association of Economy, Transport and Logistics (BWVL) e.V. and the Federal Association of Shipping and Logistics (DSLV) are joining BGL to support the enforcement of the claims of their member companies.
Participation in the antitrust processes is free of charge for shipping and transport companies,” reports BGL in an official release.
Truck Reclaim is offering the opportunity to take part in the lawsuit free of charge to all companies that have not yet pursued their claims about the manufacturers’ price collusion and purchased a truck during the years of the cartel. Claims can be made for trucks purchased from 1997 up to and including 2016 (purchase, hire purchase and leasing).
A fee is charged if compensation is awarded and this is 33 per cent of the amount won. For members of associations involved in a lawsuit, this fee is reduced to 28 per cent of the compensation amount, reports BGL.
Can claims only be registered for Scania trucks?
“NO. We will pursue claims primarily against Scania. However, Scania is liable for all cartel members (so-called joint and several liability),” BGL explains.
Law firms claim that all MAN, Daimler, Volvo/Renault, DAF and Iveco trucks can be registered on the platform www.truckreclaim.com.