Nearly 300 Italian Companies Seek More Than €450 Million in Damages in Corrugated Cardboard Cartel Lawsuit

Unilegion has filed a collective action before the Tribunale di Milano against companies involved in the Italian corrugated cardboard cartel, seeking damages estimated at more than €450 million, including interest, on behalf of nearly 300 companies from across Italy.

The participating companies represent a broad range of industries, including wine, fresh produce, food, fashion, mechanical engineering, and other manufacturing sectors.

The lawsuit follows a decision issued by the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) on July 17, 2019, which found that two interconnected cartels operated in the markets for the production and sale of corrugated cardboard sheets and corrugated cardboard packaging between at least 2005 and 2017.

According to the AGCM, the anti-competitive conduct involved the corrugated cardboard sector over a period of more than a decade. The competition authority imposed fines totaling more than €287 million on the companies involved. The decision was subsequently upheld by the Italian administrative courts.

The legal action on behalf of the claimant companies is being led by litigation specialists Trevisan & Cuonzo, with a team headed by partner Vittorio Cerulli Irelli and counsel Virginia Bellucci, together with Nicolò Manzini, partner at RPLT – RP Legal & Tax.

Economic analysis supporting the case was prepared by Charles River Associates, with work led by Patrick Andreoli-Versbach and Valter Sorana.

The collective action seeks compensation for damages allegedly suffered by the participating companies as a result of the cartel activities identified in the competition authority's decision.