Madrid-based team delivers independent damages assessment for the first Italian cartel compensation case filed in Spain

MADRID, May 2025 – Fideres, an international economic consulting firm specializing in litigation support, has provided expert economic analysis for the first legal action filed in Spain against the Italian corrugated cardboard cartel. The case, initiated by ALI (Antitrust Litigation Investment) before the Madrid Court, seeks compensation for damages suffered by companies that purchased corrugated cardboard and packaging products during the cartel period.

The legal action follows the Italian Competition Authority’s (AGCM) 2019 decision establishing the existence of the cartel, which operated from 2004 to 2017. Fideres worked alongside Studio Legale Scoccini & Associati and Spanish law firm CCS Abogados to provide the economic foundation for the compensation claims.

Fideres’ Madrid office, led by in-house expert Dr. Pedro Posada, prepared an independent economic report quantifying the damages caused by the anticompetitive conduct. The report analyzes the impact of the collusive agreement on competition dynamics in the corrugated cardboard and derived products market.

“Our analysis employed complementary approaches to confirm the existence of significant overcharges in cardboard and cardboard product prices sold in Italy during the cartel years,” said Dr. Posada. “The expert report combines a primary estimation methodology with confirmatory methods that validate the cartel’s effectiveness in producing price overcharges.”

The economic analysis includes a comprehensive damages assessment and provides robust evidence of the market effects resulting from the anticompetitive behavior. This represents the first time such a damages claim related to the Italian cardboard cartel has been pursued in Spanish courts, as one of the cartel members is controlled by a Spanish subsidiary.

Fideres specializes in providing economic analysis for competition and financial litigation cases, offering expert witness services and damages quantification across multiple jurisdictions. The firm’s litigation-focused approach enables it to provide independent analysis for claimants seeking compensation for various forms of market misconduct.