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Global Cartel - Follow-on Class Actions in Israel - Is This The End?
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The Israeli Supreme Court Ruling earlier this year, which establishes that, for the purpose of service out of the jurisdiction based on Regulation 500(7) of the Israeli Civil Procedure Regulations, 5744-1984 (“Civil Procedure Regulations“) – it is not sufficient to indicate damage which allegedly occurred within Israel, but rather an act or omission in Israel must be shown. This ruling has a significant impact, inter alia, on “follow-on” class actions filed in Israel against non-Israeli entities based on allegations of a global cartel. Generally, in these cases, the act of entering the alleged global cartel occurs outsidethe State of Israel, and the only affiliation to Israel is through sales of the “cartelized” product by unrelated third parties, which allegedly cause damage in the Israeli market to indirect purchasers. It should be noted, that the Supreme Court’s ruling addresses service under Regulation 500(7) of the Civil Procedure Regulations and it does not refer to other methods of service (e.g., service through other alternatives in Regulation 500 of the Regulations; service through Regulation 482 to a “business representative” in Israel; etc.). A. Background to The Supreme Court Ruling In November 2013, a Motion to Certify as a Class Action (“Motion to Certify“) was filed against Chi Mei, Sharp, Samsung Electronics, AU Optronic, and LG Display (“LCD Respondents“) alleging that the LCD Respondents participated in a cartel that coordinated the prices of LCD panels. The Motion to Certify was submitted following administrative, criminal and civil proceedings against the LCD Respondents worldwide. The Civil Procedure Regulations regulate the means of service of pleadings. Regulation 500 of the Civil Procedure Regulations establishes the circumstances under which the Israeli Courts may grant leave for service out of the jurisdiction, and accordingly, broaden the jurisdiction of the Israeli Courts. One of the circumstances – and the relevant one for the LCD case – is Regulation 500(7) to the Civil Procedure Regulations (“Regulation 500(7)“), which establishes that the Court may grant leave for service out of the jurisdiction if “the suit is based upon an act or omission in Israel”. The Hon. Judge Amir stated that for service purposes, the “act or omission” in Regulation 500(7) must be the Respondent’s act or omission, or someone on its behalf, on the basis of this act or omission. Furthermore, the Hon. Judge Amir established that the LCD Respondents did not sell products in Israel, as none of the third parties that sold the LCD Respondents’ end products in Israel were connected in any way to the LCD Respondents, whether as their representatives, agents or otherwise. Accordingly, it was not possible to attribute to them any act or omission that took place within the State of Israel. Also, the Hon. Judge Amir adopted the position of the Director General of the Israeli Antitrust Authority, to the effect that a foreign company that does not have a legal presence in Israel is deemed to act in Israel only if a clear connection exists between the company’s conduct outside Israel and its impact in the local market. Pursuant to Hon. Judge Amir’s decision, the Applicants in the LCD case submitted a Motion to Appeal the Court’s decision to the Supreme Court (“Motion to Appeal”). [1] The Registrar approved Chi Mei Corporation’s Motion to Cancel Leave. [2] The “Effects Doctrine” is a doctrine applied by the Israel Antitrust Authority with regard to the extraterritorial application of the restrictive arrangement control regime, in order to acquire extraterritorial jurisdiction over restrictive arrangements, including cartels, executed outside of Israel which harm competition in Israel. The Supreme Court did not determine in its decision whether this Doctrine is adopted under Israeli law. B. The Supreme Court Ruling – It Is Not Sufficient to Indicate Damage In Israel On July 31, 2017 the Israeli Supreme Court (the Hon. Judge Hayut) rejected the Motion to Appeal. The Supreme Court upheld Hon. Judge Amir’s decision not to grant leave to serve the LCD Respondents out of the jurisdiction. The following is an overview of the Supreme Court’s ruling:
C. Possible implications of the Supreme Court Ruling We expect that following the Supreme Court’s decision, it will be harder in cases with similar circumstances to serve pleadings outside of the jurisdiction on non-Israeli respondents in class actions based on restrictive arrangements (e.g., cartels) which were executed outside of Israel, when the only affiliation between the alleged cartel and the Israeli market, is the sale of “cartelized” products by third parties that are unrelated to alleged cartel members (and thus, other means of service cannot apply).
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