3 February 2022

De Brauw advises DAF Trucks as lead counsel in extensive EU antitrust follow-on damages litigation in 19 jurisdictions

+ 2 other team members
Waas2 1

On 19 July 2016, the European Commission imposed fines totaling EUR 2.93 billion on five truck manufacturers, including DAF Trucks. De Brauw represented DAF Trucks throughout the Commission’s investigation. Thereafter, massive follow-on litigation ensued with thousands of legal proceedings in multiple European and non-European jurisdictions as a result. The cases vary from damages for a few trucks to collective proceedings in which hundreds of millions are claimed. DAF Trucks and PACCAR have appointed De Brauw to act as lead counsel in all of the 19 jurisdictions that are involved. This mass claim is of unprecedented scale, arguably the most complex and extensive ever in Europe, and requires close oversight to align strategy in all these different legal systems, including common and civil law systems. De Brauw developed its own 'mass claim platform' for this case, creating one central data, document, proceedings and compliance portal for all of those working on the connected proceedings, all over the world. This is a prime example of the international nature of De Brauw's practice.