Experience
Lithuania
Agribusiness & Food
Dispute Resolution, Arbitration & Conflict Management
September 11, 2023

Triniti Jurex successfully defended the interests of Vilkyškių pieninė, one of Lithuania’s largest milk processing companies, in a dispute with an Italian food wholesaler

Vilkyškių pieninė succeeded in a dispute concerning the quality of mozzarella cheese products against SUD Slice of Italy S.a.r.l., a provider of cheese products to European restaurants. In arbitration, it was established that the alleged defects in the cheese products lacked substantiation. Consequently, the arbitrators ordered the defendant to pay for the supplied cheese.

 

The defendant sought to annul the decision before the Lithuanian Court of Appeal, but the Court upheld the original decision and deemed the defendant’s arguments unfounded.

 

During the arbitration proceedings, the TRINITI JUREX team demonstrated that the products sent by Vilkyškių pieninė to the customer, both before and after the contract’s conclusion, were produced following the same cheese-making recipes and adhered to the quality requirements specified in the contract. It was clarified that the defendant’s alleged defects in the cheese were merely a defensive position taken by the defendant, which had emerged after the obligation to pay for the cheese had arisen, as an attempt to evade payment.

 

The Court of Appeal of Lithuania upheld the judgment of the Vilnius Court of Commercial Arbitration, which had been challenged by SUD Slice of Italy S.a.r.l. Additionally, the Court ordered Vilkyškių pieninė to cover the costs incurred during the legal proceedings