Represented a company in the catering sector in shareholders’ dispute

Our Dispute Resolution lawyers represented a company in the catering and hospitality sector in litigation concerning commercial secrets and other confidential information. The shareholders of the firm filed a claim as to its confidential information. The court accepted the claim and set a deadline for the company to respond. However, the enterprise in question entered a separate complaint noting that all the disputes between the shareholders and the company should be settled in arbitration. Finally, Vilnius District Court rejected the shareholder’s separate complaint and noted that the arbitration agreement was valid.

This case is important in disputes concerning arbitration agreements. The shareholders argued that the arbitration agreement was not valid in disputes concerning the decisions of management bodies. The Supreme Court of Lithuania, however, noted that the shareholders’ arguments were not reasonable and the invalidity of the arbitration agreement cannot be justified after examination of additional evidence (articles of association).