Cleary and Bredin Prat lead on landmark EC court battle
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Slaughter and May best friend Bredin Prat have won lead roles advising Schneider Electric on its groundbreaking E1.6bn (£1.1bn) damages claim against the European Commission (EC). Cleary and Bredin Prat are advising the electrical equipment maker in its battle with the EC, which took place in the European Court of First Instance - the European Union's second-highest court - last month (25 April).
May 02, 2007 at 11:43 PM
2 minute read
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Slaughter and May best friend Bredin Prat have won lead roles advising Schneider Electric on its groundbreaking €1.6bn (£1.1bn) damages claim against the European Commission (EC).
Cleary and Bredin Prat are advising the electrical equipment maker in its battle with the EC, which took place in the European Court of First Instance – the European Union's second-highest court – last month (25 April).
Schneider is seeking damages after it was forced by the EC's competition arm to reverse its merger with rival Legrand and sell its shares in 2001. Although the de-merger decision was overturned in 2002, Schneider is filing a damages claim for €1.6bn, the amount the company believes it lost by selling its shares at a loss.
Both firms have been advising Schneider since the EC's decision to block the merger was appealed. Brussels-based competition partner Antoine Winckler is leading the Cleary team, while Bredin Prat Brussels head Marc Pittie is leading for the French firm. A judgment is expected in the coming months.
Winckler told Legal Week: "It is a very exciting case to be working on. This is the first damages case against the EC in the context of merger control policy."
If Schneider is successful, other companies to have suffered from similar EC antitrust rulings could pursue damages claims. UK company MyTravel had its merger with First Choice blocked by the EC and then later overturned.
Linklaters Brussels-based joint head of competition Alec Burnside said claiming damages against the EC is not easy. He added: "Not only do you have to prove that the Commission was wrong, but that the fault was a particularly extreme one.
"If they are found to be liable, it will be an important legal development and could set the standard for other cases to be brought."
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All![Leaders at Top French Firms Anticipate Strong M&A Market in 2025 Despite Uncertainty Leaders at Top French Firms Anticipate Strong M&A Market in 2025 Despite Uncertainty](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://k2-prod-alm.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/brightspot/20/10/8e0fca5b4a8b8a063691a1b3f286/adobestock-517973071-767x633.jpg)
Leaders at Top French Firms Anticipate Strong M&A Market in 2025 Despite Uncertainty
6 minute read![EU Parliament Gives Blessing to New EU Competition Chief Ribera Rodríguez EU Parliament Gives Blessing to New EU Competition Chief Ribera Rodríguez](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/international-edition/contrib/content/uploads/sites/378/2024/09/Teresa-Ribera-Rodríguez-767x633-3.jpg)
EU Parliament Gives Blessing to New EU Competition Chief Ribera Rodríguez
2 minute read![Simpson Thacher Becomes Second Firm to Launch in Luxembourg in 2 Days With A&O Shearman Hires Simpson Thacher Becomes Second Firm to Launch in Luxembourg in 2 Days With A&O Shearman Hires](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/international-edition/contrib/content/uploads/sites/389/2024/08/03_Simpson-Thacher-2-767x633.jpg)
Simpson Thacher Becomes Second Firm to Launch in Luxembourg in 2 Days With A&O Shearman Hires
3 minute read![HSF Hires Trio for Luxembourg Launch, Builds Private Capital Practice HSF Hires Trio for Luxembourg Launch, Builds Private Capital Practice](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/international-edition/contrib/content/uploads/sites/378/2023/07/AdobeStock_269958966-767x633.jpg)
HSF Hires Trio for Luxembourg Launch, Builds Private Capital Practice
Trending Stories
- 1Decision of the Day: Administrative Court Finds Prevailing Wage Law Applies to Workers Who Cleaned NYC Subways During Pandemic
- 2Trailblazing Broward Judge Retires; Legacy Includes Bush v. Gore
- 3Federal Judge Named in Lawsuit Over Underage Drinking Party at His California Home
- 4'Almost an Arms Race': California Law Firms Scooped Up Lateral Talent by the Handful in 2024
- 5Pittsburgh Judge Rules Loan Company's Online Arbitration Agreement Unenforceable
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250