CDC's careful case selection, rigorous preparation, and relentless pursuit of optimal outcomes has produced a 100% success rate across every case we have pursued since our founding in 2002.
CDC's careful case selection includes monitoring antitrust decisions and analysing the affected markets. Facts of each case are analysed thoroughly, including the type and scope of the infringement, the cartel participants, and the administrative proceedings. Case selection includes a preliminary legal and economic assessment.
From an economic perspective, the volume of the affected markets — both in quantity and monetary terms — is identified. Relevant parameters such as demand, supply and capacity are carefully assessed together with price developments and preliminary indications of damaging cartel effects. This enables CDC to form well-founded conclusions regarding the risks and potential value of claims, as well as the most efficient enforcement strategy.
In July 2016, the European Commission fined five truck manufacturers — MAN, Volvo/Renault, Daimler, Iveco, and DAF — a combined €2.93 billion for running an illegal cartel. The companies admitted to fixing prices, coordinating the rollout of new emission technologies, and passing those costs onto customers. A separate fine of €880 million was handed to Scania in September 2017.
The cartel ran for over 14 years (1997–2011) and covered medium and heavy trucks across the entire European Economic Area. Anyone who bought, rented, or leased a medium or heavy truck during this period has the right to claim compensation.
In July 2017, CDC filed a damages claim in Amsterdam on behalf of over 700 companies across Europe, covering around 60,000 trucks. CDC's case is considered the lead action in the Netherlands, and the defendants themselves have acknowledged the exceptional quality of CDC's documentation — it covers 99.7% of the trucks claimed for, compared to under 10% for most other claimants. CDC has since won three significant interim judgments (May 2019, May 2021, and July 2022).
In 2014, Germany's Federal Cartel Office fined three major sugar manufacturers — Nordzucker, Pfeifer & Langen, and Südzucker — approximately €280 million for carving up the German sugar market from the mid-1990s until 2009. The cartel involved agreements on sales territories, customer allocation, and pricing across both industrial and household sugar.
Both direct and indirect purchasers of sugar and sugar substitute products during the cartel period are entitled to full compensation. CDC has acquired claims from over 1,000 retailers and food and beverage manufacturers and is pursuing these before the Higher Regional Court of Celle. A court-appointed expert is currently conducting an independent damage assessment.
In 2015, Spain's competition authority (CNMC) handed down its largest ever fine — €171 million — to 21 car manufacturers and two consulting agencies for illegally sharing commercially sensitive sales information between 2006 and 2013. The companies covered over 90% of the Spanish market. Preliminary estimates put the price overcharge at between 10% and 15%.
CDC has acquired damage claims from over 14,000 affected parties — primarily individual consumers — and filed an action in November 2023 before the Commercial Court of Valladolid against Renault, Fiat Chrysler, Stellantis España, and Stellantis N.V. Total damages claimed, including interest, exceed €47 million.
In 2015, Spain's competition authority (CNMC) fined 18 companies and a trade association a combined €57.7 million for running a cartel in the Spanish paper and corrugated cardboard market. The cartel involved price manipulation and market-sharing between 2002 and 2013. Although the decision was later annulled on procedural grounds, the court expressly confirmed that the cartel did exist and that its effects were real.
Companies that purchased corrugated cardboard boxes during the affected periods are entitled to full compensation. CDC, together with its partners, is currently preparing bundled claims on behalf of over 150 affected companies.
In 2019, Spain's competition authority (CNMC) fined ten major dairy companies €80 million for coordinating the purchase prices and volumes of raw cow's milk between 2000 and 2013. By systematically sharing sensitive commercial information, the cartel members suppressed prices paid to dairy farmers — effectively forcing them to sell milk below competitive market rates. Each affected farmer could in principle claim at least 10% of their total turnover during the cartel period, plus accrued interest.
In 2019, the European Commission fined Mastercard over €570 million for imposing cross-border acquiring rules that restricted competition in the EEA payments market. By requiring merchants' banks to apply locally-set interchange fees, Mastercard effectively blocked merchants from sourcing cheaper payment processing services — keeping transaction costs higher than they should have been.
All Portuguese consumers who made purchases during the affected period may be entitled to compensation. CDC is supporting Ius Omnibus, a Portuguese consumer protection association, in a collective damages action seeking €400M+ on behalf of all consumers in Portugal.
Every case CDC has pursued has resulted in a successful outcome for the companies we represent. Below is a selection of concluded proceedings.
CDC's first major damages action — a landmark case that helped shape European private antitrust enforcement. CDC acquired claims from 32 pulp and paper companies across 13 European countries. The German proceedings gave rise to the landmark CJEU judgment CDC Hydrogen Peroxide (C-352/13), of lasting significance for antitrust litigation across Europe. Settled in 2020.
The first large-scale antitrust damages action ever brought in Europe — filed by CDC in August 2005 before the Regional Court of Düsseldorf. Fourteen years in the making, this case demonstrated that cartel victims could and would fight for compensation against all obstacles. Settled confidentially in 2019.
European Commission fined ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, Sasol, ENI, Repsol, MOL and RWE over €676M for a cartel running from 1992 to 2005. CDC acquired claims from eight purchasers across five European countries and filed action in The Hague claiming €100M+. All defendants settled: Sasol in 2015, remaining defendants in 2017.
European Commission fined Akzo Nobel, Kemira, Arkema, and Aragonesas over €79M for a 1994–2000 cartel in the sodium chlorate market. CDC filed action in Amsterdam on behalf of ten pulp and paper companies from nine European countries representing nearly half of total European demand. Landmark 2020 Court of Appeal ruling confirmed claims were not time-barred. All defendants settled.