Dispute Resolution

Recent matters DGKV’s Dispute Resolution team has worked on include:

• Acting as a co-counsel to The State General Reserve Fund of the Sultanate of Oman in an investment arbitration case against the Republic of Bulgaria before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, Washington D.C. related to the termination of Corporate and Commercial Bank AD’s license and consequent insolvency proceedings in Bulgarian courts.
• Acting for Inekon Group a.s. in ad hoc arbitration proceedings under UNCITRAL rules against Sofia Municipality, with the value in dispute exceeding EUR 10 million.
• Representing ČEZ, a.s. in ICC arbitration and related disputes arising with public entities in connection with a share privatization sale agreement.
• Successfully representing CEZ Electro Bulgaria AD in out-of-court settlement negotiations related to a dispute with National Electricity Company EAD over the price of electricity.
• Acting for Ciments Français in proceedings for recognition and enforcement of an arbitral award with a value of over EUR 50 million.
• Representing General Electric International Inc. before Bulgaria’s Commission on Protection of Competition and Supreme Administrative Court in relation to multiple public procurement procedures and European Structural Investment Funds aspects of tenders.
• Representing global mining and metals group companies Mechel International Holdings GmbH and Mechel Carbon AG in a USD 18.8 million registered-pledge-collection matter against Thermal Power Plant Pleven and Thermal Power Plant Rousse related to the sale of the latter to the former, and in related litigation against National Electricity Company EAD as a third-party debtor under pledged receivables.
• Representing the American University in Bulgaria in a complex ownership lawsuit, consisting of 26 court cases.
• Representing Shanghai Sensheng Assets Management Centre (Limited Partnership) in a lawsuit against the Bulgarian State seeking reimbursement of paid RES generation fees, following the Constitutional Court’s decision declaring the fees unconstitutional.
• Representing CDM Smith Consult GmbH in international commercial arbitration involving a service contract signed with Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water.
• Representing Bulgarian telecommunications company Bulsatcom in two Bulgarian arbitration proceedings of EUR 7.8 million and EUR 15.8 million in dispute that were filed by former directors seeking compensation under golden parachute clauses in management contracts allegedly existing between them and Bulsatcom.
• Representing Telecom Italia Sparkle in a commercial dispute against a Bulgarian debtor arising out of a contractual relationship governed by the laws of Italy.
• Representing the Bulgarian Financial Supervision Commission in a total of 19 proceedings before Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court involving IsaOdit Ltd.’s appeal of the watchdog’s decision to remove it from the list of auditors approved to verify the assets of Bulgarian pension and insurance companies.
• Representing a Bulgarian specialized eye hospital in civil litigation and settlement negotiations with the Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund regarding the NHIF’s payment of remuneration for health treatments, hospitalization, and ambulatory services performed by the hospital for insured parties.
• Representing Glorient Investment Bulgaria – a major Bulgarian real estate investment company – in more than 40 real estate and commercial disputes valued at approximately EUR 20 million against a large Bulgarian chain of specialized hypermarkets for white and black goods, office equipment, and information technologies.
• Representing Glorient Investment Bulgaria in a complex lawsuit with Technomarket related to 13 commercial eviction claims and defending claims seeking the invalidation of commercial property purchase agreements.
• Advising BMW Bank GmbH on specific legal questions related to leased property improperly detained by the Bulgarian Customs Authority.
• Advising Google on various litigation matters related to a number of Right-to-be-Forgotten deletion requests from Bulgarian citizens.
• Advising Golden Leaf Tobacco Company Inc. in a commercial dispute with Bulgartabac Holding (the biggest Bulgarian tobacco producer) pertaining to the collection of USD 1.2 million in outstanding receivables under an international sale contract.
• Assisting Meta (Facebook Inc.) with the protection and enforcement of its trademark rights in Bulgaria, including filing oppositions, negotiating with owners of conflicting signs or applications, pursuing infringement litigation, and participating in settlement negotiations.
• Successfully representing the Bulgarian subsidiary of the Sandvik engineering group in proceedings against Bulgarian-state-owned Montagi EAD related to the recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award of EUR 587,000 rendered in a dispute concerning construction activities at the Maritza East 1 Power Station in Bulgaria.