The Stibbe Climate Conference took place on 22 September. Together with speakers from the business community, we discussed on a multidisciplinary basis how the European climate transition impacts organisations. We discussed the challenges facing organisations in the areas of governance, finance & reporting and compliance & liability risks, and how organisations can anticipate such challenges. The most important takeaways on … Read more
Recent case law on the standing of ‘idealistic’ claim foundations shows courts’ lenient approach. Under the class action regime that entered into force in January 2020, claim foundations face stricter admissibility requirements as a counterbalance to their newly gained power to institute an opt-out damages claim. The legislator however also implemented an exemption to the requirements for ‘idealistic’ claim foundations, … Read more
Dutch courts have not yet developed procedural rules for the WAMCA, the new Dutch regime for collective redress. This adds to pre-existing uncertainty around many procedural aspects of this new law. In my recent editorial for the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Burgerlijk Recht (Dutch Civil Law Review, only accessible with a WoltersKluwer Navigator subscription), I discuss recent court decisions and identify … Read more
Dutch law provides for an extension of the limitation period in relation to claims that were “deliberately hidden” from the creditor (article 3:321 (f) Dutch Civil Code). The extension also applies if the debtor deliberately hid the fact that the claim had become due and payable (upon fulfilment of a certain condition, for example). It is, however, unclear what kind … Read more
The proposed text for a Directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers has radically changed – again. In April 2018, the European Commission launched its New Deal for Consumers, aimed at strengthening the enforcement of consumer law throughout the European Union. Part of this legislative programme was a proposal for a Directive on representative … Read more
The rise of big data poses all kinds of legal challenges for society. The Dutch government and Parliament are currently exploring whether or not the Dutch collective redress mechanism suffices for claiming damages following violations of data protection law. Recent reports commissioned by the Dutch government have proposed changes to this collective redress mechanism; in this blog, we set out … Read more
When does a reason given for termination of an agreement qualify as a compelling ground? That was the central question in the Dutch Supreme Court’s decision of 29 March 2019 (ECLI:NL:HR:2019:446). Depending on the nature of the agreement and the circumstances of the case, termination may only take place under certain conditions, e.g. only on compelling grounds. The Dutch Civil … Read more
The knowledge of a person who in fact runs a company can be attributed to the company if the sole director and shareholder is a ‘straw man’, the Supreme Court confirmed in a judgment of 29 March 2019. The rules by the Supreme Court are not revolutionary or even new. But circumstances essential for the attribution of knowledge are ignored. … Read more
On 19 March 2019, the Dutch Senate approved the legislative proposal that introduces collective actions for damages under article 3:305a of the Dutch Civil Code (DCC). As the legislative proposal did not give rise to any debate in the Senate, it was passed without a vote. The legislative proposal will have a significant impact on the litigation climate in the … Read more
Members of Stibbe’s Commercial Litigation practice group have participated in the public consultation of a draft bill to modernise and simplify the law of evidence in civil procedure. An overview of the draft proposal was provided previously on this blog by Petra Vos and Daan Barbiers. The main goal of the draft bill is to enhance truth seeking in civil … Read more