Co-op files E. coli lawsuit in Hamburg
Spain rules out "state versus state" battle over cucumber accusations
A German law firm has filed a suit on behalf of Málaga cooperative Frunet against Hamburg authorities for losses caused by the E. coli outbreak. The aim of this initial suit is to gain access to the authorities' files, which have been denied to the group, to evaluate possible negligence. After that, Frunet plans to bring another suit for financial damages, law firm Linden Partners said.
The move comes despite news on Thursday that Spain has ruled out a "state against state" suit over accusations by Hamburg's health minister that Andalusian cucumbers were the source of the deadly E. coli strain. After a meeting with his German counterpart in Berlin, Secretary of State for the EU Diego López Garrido said he had agreed to launch promotion measures to "recover the prestige of Spanish produce."
