We successfully defended a leading Japanese automotive manufacturer in a dispute brought against it by a contractual counterparty. The claimant sought substantial damages alleging that the non-renewal of an agreement for the marketing and distribution of automobiles had been unlawful. The key issue in the dispute was whether the agreement was for a definite or indefinite term and, accordingly, under what conditions non-renewal could occur and the time period within which the claimant was required to bring its claims. Our client prevailed on this decisive issue, resulting in the rejection of the claimant’s primary claim. After this victory, residual claims and costs were settled on favourable terms with a net payment to our client.
4 December 2018