Bloomberg.com
Dow Chemical Fails to Stop U.K. Cartel Civil Suit
By James Lumley
Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) — Dow Chemical Co., the largest U.S. chemicals maker, lost a request for dismissal of a claim brought against it over an alleged European rubber cartel.
Justice Nigel Teare at the High Court in London ruled today that Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., the second-largest U.S. tiremaker, and a group of other companies can sue Dow in the U.K. Lawyers for Dow argued at a hearing earlier this month that the court shouldnt consider the case because the alleged cartel didnt operate in England.
Cooper and 25 other companies last year sued Dow, Unipetrol AS, units of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Bayer AG and as many as 20 other companies. The plaintiffs, which make tires and other rubber products, are seeking compensation for losses they claim resulted from antitrust violations.
I am satisfied that the claimants have a good arguable case that this court has jurisdiction over the Dow defendants, Teare said in his ruling.
A limited number of claims brought against Dows Swiss- based Dow Europe unit should be stopped because the unit was sued for the same thing in Italy before the U.K. claim was filed, Teare said.
Unipetrol and units of Shell, Dow Chemical, Eni SpA and Trade-Stomil Sp were fined a total of 519 million euros ($771 million) in a 2006 European Union antitrust case over material used to make tires and shoes.
Shell, Eni and Dow are challenging the antitrust fines at the European Court of First Instance, the European Unions main antitrust appeals court.
Sue Breach, a Dow spokeswoman, said she couldnt immediately comment.
The case is: Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. v. Shell Chemicals U.K. Ltd., 07-1676, U.K. High Court (London).
To contact the reporter on this story: James Lumley in London at [email protected].
Last Updated: October 27, 2009 10:30 EDT
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
