Partners at a raft of firms including Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are gearing up for potential damages claims against Europe’s biggest truck makers after they admitted to operating a 14 year price cartel.
Truck makers Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Paccar, Inveco and Volkswagen’s MAN were all fined after admitting to the cartel back in June 2016.
Quinn partner Boris Bronfentrinker is leading Daimler’s defence in the United Kingdom while Vovlo-owned Renault has enlisted Freshfields’ head of global antitrust litigation Jon Lawrence and partner Bea Tormey to co-ordinate defences for claims in several EU jurisdictions.
Inveco has instructed Herbert Smith Freehills partner Kim Dietzel while Slaughter and May is understood to be representing MAN.
Meanwhile, claimants include Royal Mail, the Road Haulage Association and truck owners represented by litigation funders Burford Capital and Bentham Europe.
Royal Mail has instructed Berwin Leighton Paisner in a specific claim against Paccar, with a team lead by partners Andrew Hockley and Edward Coulson. It is not known which firm Paccar has instructed as defence. The Road Haulage Association is also preparing a claim and has instructed Backhouse Jones Solicitors, and David Went of Exchange Chambers.
Burford Capital is funding Hausfeld, in a claim overseen by managing partner Anthony Maton.
Meanwhile, Bentham Europe also said it will fund separate claim, worth €100bn against the truck makers. The litigation funder has selected legal counsel but refused to comment on which firm is acting.
Bentham chief investment officer Jeremy Marshall said: ‘Bentham is determined to bring the opportunity to recover the overcharges to the attention of as many truck purchasers as it can and enable these victims of the cartel collectively to seek redress. Claims against the truck cartel are expected to be one of the largest ever compensation claims resulting from a cartel ruling.’
tom.baker@legalease.co.uk
