GCR 100 2022: Hausfeld leads as an ‘Elite’ firm at the EU Claimants Bar

Global Competition Review 2022 released its rankings for the EU Claimants Bar, highlighting how the plaintiff-side competition bar in Europe is tackling an ever-growing number of antitrust damages claims.

It recognises Hausfeld as an Elite firm and describes how “Hausfeld is the single best firm catering for claimants seeking competition damages in Europe. The 18 partner group is steered by a who’s who of the continent’s most impressive plaintiff lawyers, including the firm’s [now Global] Chair Anthony Maton and Laurent Geelhand” and how the teams are “leading on the majority of the most important private actions making their way through courts across Europe.”

With offices across Europe and 18 partners, 7 counsel and 32 associates solely dedicated to competition disputes (*), we continue to run the largest team among competition claimant firms with our lawyers representing leading names in a plethora of high-profile and complex private and collective actions.

A selection of Hausfeld’s highlights:

“In London, the team is acting for FX Claim UK in seeking certification for an opt-out class action against banking groups Barclays, Citigroup, MUFG Bank, JP Morgan, RBS and UBS, all six of which were found by the European Commission to have participated in a cartel in the Forex market. The UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) held a hearing in July to determine a carriage dispute between FX Claim UK and Michael O’Higgins, who were battling over which of two rival certification applications should be approved. Hausfeld has also filed separate claims in the CAT against Google and Apple on behalf of millions of UK smartphone and tablet users, alleging that consumers were unfairly restricted from accessing potential competition from other app distributors. Other major work in the UK includes securing class certification in a standalone abuse of dominance claim against two UK train operators and launching proposed collective actions against Qualcomm and Compare the Market.”
“In Germany, Hausfeld has been representing Financialright Claims in a lawsuit aggregating claims on behalf of 3,000-plus purchasers of 85,000 trucks, following on from the Trucks cartel. The firm has also filed a second suit relating to 65,000 truck purchases. In early 2020, the first case was dismissed by the Munich Regional Court, although an appeal is currently pending before the Higher Regional Court of Munich. Also arising out of the Trucks cartel, Hausfeld is representing several large companies in five actions for damages incurred following the purchase of 20,000 trucks.”
“The team in the Netherlands, meanwhile, represents Deutsche Bahn in follow-on proceedings against the Pre-Stressing Steel cartel.”


(*) Numbers were correct at the time of research in Summer 2021.