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  1. Our capabilities
  2. Mass claims and class actions
Mass claims and class actions
Class actions and mass claims continue to escalate. Freshfields’ extensive expertise in handling market leading complex mass litigation proceedings globally, industry-specific knowledge, use of tech tools and efficient project management ensures a coordinated and robust defense for clients.
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Freshfields develops defence strategies and provides clients with a robust approach to risk mitigation.

Consumer-friendly legislation, increased regulatory scrutiny and expanded access to claims funding are increasing the risk of mass claims and class actions across the globe.

Businesses are having to defend their interests in new or rapidly developing areas, including data protection, ESG, antitrust and shareholder litigation.

To defend your business, Freshfields provides a coordinated strategic approach spanning industries and jurisdictions. We offer in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of mass claim risk, and industry-specific expertise in the automotive, consumer, healthcare/life sciences, financial services and TMT sectors.

Our adeptness at handling complex, multi-jurisdictional mass claim and class action proceedings is well established. As procedural regimes evolve around the world, we mount defences that are coordinated, comprehensive and highly effective. Our knowledge of litigation funders, costs regimes and Courts enables us to give clients insight into the economics that lie behind these claims, as well as counter measures that can be taken in response.  

Current engagements include advising several globally renowned tech companies in the defence of numerous data-related claims. One client is involved in the biggest data privacy mass claims litigation in Europe to date.

Our lawyers are involved in the leading cases that are shaping the mass claims landscape.  For instance, in the UK we recently successfully defended the first appeal decision rejecting the use of a representative action in the shareholder claims context and are currently defending Mastercard in reportedly the largest damages claim ever brought in the UK.

In the US, we’re representing Google in multiple adtech antitrust class actions; 3M and its directors in a securities class action; and Rio Tinto in a climate change class action in Puerto Rico which accuses fossil fuel producers of being major contributors to the fierce 2017 hurricanes which devastated the island.

In all these cases – and many like them – our litigation lawyers are helping to shape the legal approach to mass claims and class actions in a changing world.

We continually innovate on behalf of clients, meeting a surge in claims with robust, data-driven defence strategies. Providing you with bespoke solutions and maximizing the use of our Legal Tech resources and legal project management expertise will create efficiencies and save time and money.

In the face of growing risk, Freshfields provides the human and technological resources to meet your challenges around mass claims and class actions.

Related capabilities
Antitrust litigation
Consumer liability
Data and tech mass claims
Data, privacy and cyber security
Environmental disputes
Client successes
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A leading US tech clientRepresenting a leading US tech client in data privacy litigation in Europe

We are defending such claims in Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK. Overall, this is the biggest data privacy mass claims litigation in Europe to date.

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Volvo-RenaultRepresenting Volvo-Renault in one of the largest and most complex sets of antitrust litigation ever seen in Europe, in terms of the number of claims, their subject matter and geographic spread

The so called ‘trucks cartel’ litigation faces over 3,000 claims founded on an alleged overcharge in the purchase price of trucks. Freshfields is representing Volvo-Renault directly before courts in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and coordinates its defence elsewhere via a network of local firms.  Further, Freshfields has acted in 4 referrals before the European Court of Justice representing Volvo/Renault.

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Contacts

Contacts

Meet the team
Frankfurt am Main
Martina de Lind van WijngaardenPartner
Munich
Michael RohlsPartner
London, Dublin
Mark SansomLondon and Dublin Managing Partner
London
Bea TormeyPartner
Amsterdam
Mijke Sinninghe DamstéPartner
Meet the team
Awards & recognition
Chambers Global 2024, Multi-Jurisdictional: Dispute Resolution
Band 1 Ranking for Dispute Resolution
Chambers Crisis & Risk Management 2024
Band 1 Ranking for Global Crisis Management
JUVE Awards 2024
Law Firm of the Year
2023
Investing in Ethnicity’s Top 25 Employer and Exemplary Employer 2023 (UK)
GCR Awards 2023, Global Competition Review
Litigation of the Year – Cartel Defence
China Business Law Awards, 2023
Law Firm of the Year for Dispute resolution (Cross-border)
Our thinking

Our thinking

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UK shareholder claims: no market reliance as English High Court strikes out passive investors’ claims
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Oct 18 2024
The new leading decision procedure – a relief for the judiciary and an increase in efficiency in mass claims proceedings?
Today, the German Federal Council (Bundesrat) passed the law already adopted by the German Parliament (Bundestag) to introduce a new...
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Sep 12 2024
High Court Clips the Wings of Class Action against Airlines
The English High Court has struck out a class action claim against two airlines in which the Claimant sought to secure flight delay...
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Jul 5 2024
High Court lays down important points of principle for costs budgeting in large-scale and complex group litigation
In a judgment handed down today, the High Court has laid down a number of significant points of principle for cost management exercises...
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Jul 4 2024
Digital or printed? Navigating liability and evidence in product instruction and safety information
I.    Introduction  Manufacturers of consumer-facing products in the increasingly integrated European market operate in a complex...
Related capabilities
Antitrust litigationConsumer liabilityData, privacy and cyber securityData and tech mass claimsEnvironmental disputes
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