Amcor and Cadbury settle out of court in £116m 'cartel' case
Josh Brooks, packagingnews.co.uk, 22 July 2009
BREAKING NEWS - Amcor and Cadbury have reached an out-of-court settlement on the eve of a £116m lawsuit in which the confectionery giant claimed it had been overcharged by the Australian packaging group.
A court case was due to start today in Melbourne, Australia in which Cadbury was to sue Amcor for AUS$236m (£116m) for overcharging on boxes, plastic bottles and aluminium cans while an alleged cartel was running with rival packaging group Visy.
"Cadbury Australia and New Zealand is pleased that a confidential settlement has been reached in its long-running litigation action against Amcor," Cadbury spokesman Daniel Ellis told news agency Reuters.
Details of the deal have been kept under wraps this morning, although Amcor said that it would not have a material impact on its financial position.
Amcor was given immunity from prosecution when it blew the whistle on the cartel. Visy, however, was found guilty and fined AUS$36 million.
This week’s case would have been the first time that Amcor would have been obliged to give its side of the story in public.
It would also have found itself in the unusual position of defending itself alongside Visy.
