MANNHEIM (dpa-AFX) - Following rulings by the Mannheim Regional Court in two pilot proceedings on the so-called sugar cartel, the Südzucker company is appealing. "We are not making any further statements; we are in ongoing proceedings," a spokesman announced in Mannheim on Monday. Earlier, the "Mannheimer Morgen" had reported.
Inquiries to the Karlsruhe Higher Regional Court, which is responsible for the appeal, as well as to the two other affected manufacturers, Nordzucker of Braunschweig and Pfeifer & Langen (Diamant-Zucker), based in Koln, initially went unanswered. According to the rulings at the end of June, they are to pay millions in damages each to Nestlé Deutschland AG and Molkerei Alois Müller GmbH & Co. KG for collecting sugar prices that were too high following cartel agreements.
According to information provided by the Regional Court at the time, around 40 cartel lawsuits filed by food and beverage manufacturers are pending in Mannheim alone. They are demanding a total of several hundred million euros. There were also lawsuits elsewhere, for example from dairies, bakery and delicatessen manufacturers./kre/DP/jha