Die neue Abhilfeklage – ein echter Gamechanger?

The collective action for redress that became available in October last year extends the options for collective legal action in Germany. For the first time, consumers and small businesses can take collective action against companies for redress and obtain a direct remedy, such as payments. The existing model declaratory action can only be used to obtain declaratory decisions, in other words it does not lead to a title of execution. In this podcast, Claus Thiery and Sandra Renschke, partner and counsel in the Dispute Resolution practice respectively, explain aspects such as how the remedial procedure is structured, what role consumer associations play and to what extent settlements are a likely outcome. They finish by discussing whether the new type of lawsuit will actually be a game changer, as claimed by policymakers.