2/2024

Huhtamäki Brothers advised several minority shareholders of a Finnish limited liability company in the redemption of their shares in arbitration proceedings governed by the rules of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act. The minority shareholders had the right to demand the redemption of their shares according to the said act.
 
Based on our clients’ claims the arbitration tribunal i) confirmed the redemption obligation of the redeemer, ii) obliged the redeemer to redeem our clients’ shares and to pay a redemption price above EUR 350,000 to all our clients with interest, and iii) the redeemer was ordered to compensate 50 per cent of our clients’ legal fees approximately EUR 17,000. In addition, the redeemer was iv) ordered to solely bear the costs of the arbitrator, and the costs of the trustee. The arbitral award is final.

 

11/2023

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted and advised a Finnish company and a subsidiary of a Swedish listed company in an arbitration governed by the rules of the Finnish Arbitration Institute (“FAI”).
 
Our client had purchased the entire share capital of a Finnish company pursuant to a share purchase agreement (the “SPA”) which included a FAI related arbitration clause. Following the closing of the purchase our client became aware of several material breaches of the SPA by the sellers. Based on our client’s claims and due to the SPA breaches, the arbitration tribunal i) confirmed that the SPA was annulled, ii) the sellers of the company were ordered to reimburse the purchase price of the SPA over EUR 4,000,000 with interest to our client, iii) pay damages to our client in the amount of EUR 1,350,000 with interest, and iv) to compensate above 95 per cent of our client’s legal fees in total EUR 215,000. In addition, v) the defendants were ordered to solely bear the expenses of the arbitral tribunal and the FAI.
 
We also assisted our client in the enforcement of the arbitral award whereafter our client received a full payment of its receivables with interest from the defendants.

The arbitral award is final and binding..

 

8/2023

Huhtamäki Brothers represented a real estate company in a dispute with its long-term tenant who had failed to pay hundreds of thousands of euros in rent to our client. An amicable settlement was reached between our client, the tenant and the tenant's guarantor, which resulted in our client receiving full payment of its due invoices in addition to a settlement sum of EUR 30,000. The matter was settled prior to arbitration.

 

6/2023

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a product manufacturer with the approval of its insurance company wherein a third party claimed for damages from our client in the amount of approximately 1 Million Euros. After our written denial the adverse party did not pursue a litigation proceeding against our client.

 

4/2023

Huhtamaki Brothers represented a minority shareholder in a wide-ranging dispute concerning disagreements in the administration and operation of a multiparty owned joint venture. Our client made extensive financial claims against the joint venture and its management. In the end, the matter was settled out of court with our client receiving amicable compensation covering a substantial part of the amount it was claiming.

 

4/2023

We assisted a foreign person who had been a former shareholder and a deputy board member of a Finnish company in criminal proceedings regarding aggravated dishonesty by a debtor committed in the operations of the company. The first police investigations were executed insufficiently and two additional investigations were conducted due to our request. Following the additional investigations, the charges against our client were decreased significantly.

The District Court convicted our client (inter alia to pay damages of the amount of EUR 260,000).

We appealed to the Appeal Court. During the hearings of the Court of Appeal, the prosecutor and the plaintiffs dropped all charges and claims against our client. The Court of Appeals overruled the district court’s decision and the conviction, and our client was freed from all liabilities.

 

1/2023

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a director of a finance company in negotiations regarding the termination of the director’s agreement. The matter was settled prior to arbitration.

 

10/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a former director of a Finnish company who was charged for aggravated subsidy fraud and subject to criminal-based claims worth of over EUR 500,000 (with interest). After our written answer to the District Court of Länsi Uusimaa on behalf of our client, the prosecutor made the decision to drop all charges and claims against our client. The State of Finland was ordered to compensate majority of our client’s legal fees (over EUR 52,000). The decision is final.

 

9/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers represented a real estate company in front of the Administrative Court of Helsinki concerning its appeal of a municipality’s decision on deviation from a local detailed plan. The Court ruled in favour of our client and the decision subject to appeal was annulled. The decision is final.

 

9/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a building manufacturer in a dispute regarding a 4.6 MEUR turnkey contract of a public building. The dispute was resolved amicably and all payments according to the contract were paid to our client.

 

5/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a middle-sized construction company as plaintiff in a construction arbitration case (regarding inter alia YSE 1998 terms) against a major construction company in front of an ad hoc arbitration tribunal.

 

3/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to private persons as they claimed for damages and compensation from a construction company and a consultant regarding our clients’ construction project of their detached house. The case concerned inter alia the construction company’s liabilities under the YSE1998 terms and the consultant’s responsibilities under KSE2013 terms. The matter was settled in the District Court of Länsi-Uusimaa and, based on the settlement agreement, the adverse parties made significant payments to our clients.

 

1/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers successfully represented a Finnish youth ice hockey club, REDS Helsinki, in an appeal matter UOL 36/2021 before the Finnish Sports Arbitration Board. The appeal concerned the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation’s decision in early December 2021 to wrongfully deny REDS Helsinki’s U13 team promotion to the AAA level irrespective of its merits and pre-eminent play during the fall of 2021 on the AA level. The Finnish Sports Arbitration Board concluded that the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation had in its decision discriminated against REDS Helsinki, its U13 team and players on such team. The Finnish Sports Arbitration Board overruled such decision, returned the matter to be decided again by the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation meaning that it ordered the promotion of REDS Helsinki’s U13 to the AAA level, and ordered the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation to pay a part of REDS Helsinki’s legal costs in the matter.

 

11/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a director of a foreign company as its client in a police investigation lead by the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP). The director was suspected of aggravated fraud regarding purchases of certain masks worth of approximately EUR 5,000,000. After our written statement on behalf of our client, the prosecutor made the decision not to prosecute our client for any crime in accordance with our statement.

 

12/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers advised an investment company in disputes regarding shareholders’ agreement. The matter was settled.

 

11/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a Finnish public limited company terminating its managing directors agreements and settling disputes relating thereto.

 

10/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted the Board of a real estate company in a case where the shareholders of the company had unfoundedly requested the Regional State Administrative Agency to convene an extra ordinary shareholders’ meeting. After our written statement, the Regional State Administrative Agency ended the proceedings.

 

9/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a middle-sized construction company in an ad hoc arbitration proceeding. The arbitration tribunal rendered its decision, according to which the counterparty was ordered to pay compensation of approximately EUR 300.000 to our client.

 

5/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers successfully represented and advised a foreign owned real estate company in a dispute with its significant lessee concerning multiple and material breaches of their rental agreement. Following our swift actions and subsequent negotiations with the lessee the dispute was amicably resolved with our client receiving all demanded amounts and legal costs in full.

 

2/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted an employee of a major European listed company as its client in a police investigation. The employee was suspected of aggravated money laundering. After our written statement on behalf of our client, the prosecutor made the decision not to prosecute our client for any crime.

 

1/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers advised a new tech company called Bofor Oy and its shareholders in the drafting of a shareholders’ agreement as well as related director agreements and asset purchase agreements.

 

10/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers counsel to a Limited Liability Housing Company as it claimed damages from its former Board member in a litigation case. Both the District Court and the Court of Appeal ordered the former member of the Board to pay the full claimed amount of damages to our client as well as the majority of our client’s legal costs in the case.

 

8/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as liquidators of Imatran Golf Oy based on a proposal and a decision by the company’s largest shareholder (a Finnish major listed company). Imatran Golf Oy was a company which operated a golf course in South-East Finland. Imatran Golf Oy’s liquidation was successfully finalised in July 2020.

 

6/2020

Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority’s (FCCA) issued a press release on 4 June 2020 concerning its investigation into the Finnish taxi sector. The FCCA has decided to close its investigation of seven different taxi companies while continuing to investigate six other taxi companies.   

Huhtamäki Brothers successfully represented Kuru-Taksi Oy in the FCCA’s mentioned investigation. Following a 15-month investigation and our actions on behalf of Kuru-Taksi Oy, the FCCA closed the investigation without further consequences to our client and removed the matter from its docket.

 

11/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a public entity as its client in a dispute assignment concerning a frame agreement worth of over 40MEUR, where our client acted as the contractee (client) and a construction company acted as the contractor. The frame agreement was governed by the General Conditions for Building Contracts (YSE 1998). We assisted our client in assessing the terms of the contract and in settling the parties’ disagreements. Our client received a fair compensation for defects in the contractor’s performance and the parties averted an arbitration proceeding.

 

2/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers represented an employee in an employment termination dispute where the employer company had terminated our client’s employment agreement without cause. Prior to the initiation of legal action and following swift negotiations, the parties reached a settlement whereby the employee received a significant supplementary payment for the termination of the  employment relationship.

 

10/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers had the honour to successfully assist and advise the Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association in a complaint to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (the FCCA) concerning the Finnish professional ice hockey league’s i.e. Jääkiekon SM-Liiga Oy’s (the Elite League) and its fifteen shareholders’ (the teams) agreement not to employ players who had a contract with the Kontinental Hockey League’s only Finnish team Jokerit during the playing season, and to not play practice games with Jokerit. This agreement was in force for several years. In its decision on 31 October 2019, the FCCA declared such agreement to be in violation of competition law and ordered the Elite League and the teams to terminate the unlawful agreement immediately. The FCCA deemed the agreement to be a so-called “by object” infringement i.e. a hard core cartel and a severe restriction of competition. To enforce its decision, the FCCA imposed notice of a conditional fine of EUR 75,000 on each of the violating parties (the Elite League and the teams) for any breach of the termination order. Our partner Matti Huhtamäki was interviewed by several newspapers as the counsel to Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association (e.g. Iltalehti and MTV3)

 

10/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a representative of a construction company as our client in a police investigation, wherein our client was suspected of an environmental crime. After our written statement on behalf of our client, the prosecutor made the decision not to prosecute our client in the matter. 

 

5/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a limited liability housing company as a developer (contractee) in a dispute concerning a construction contract worth over 1MEUR. We assisted our client in terminating the construction contract with immediate effect and issuing its claims against the contractor pursuant to the General conditions for building contracts (YSE 1998). We also assisted our client in claiming compensation from the contractor’s guarantor. The contractor was later declared bankrupt, after which we assisted our client in lodging a claim in the bankruptcy proceeding.

 

5/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a private person in an assignment concerning personal data breach and claiming compensation for our client under GDPR and Personal Data Act. The assignment ended when the data controller compensated our client.

 

3/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers advised an employee shareholder in the interpretation of and exit from the shareholders’ agreement he had entered into with the employer company and its other shareholders.

 

10/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted an education and training company in negotiating a shareholders’ agreement particularly focusing on competition law aspects.

 

8/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a family-owned software company in drafting a new shareholders’ agreement and making preparations for issue of new shares to the new company management shareholders.

 

6/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a beverage industry company in a dispute regarding a shareholders’ agreement.

 

1/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a transporting industry and warehousing company in drafting a shareholders’ agreement.

 

11/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a building subcontractor in an assignment regarding the termination of a subcontractor agreement. The assignment included assisting the client in terminating the subcontractor agreement with immediate effect in accordance with the General conditions for building contracts (YSE 1998), and clarifying the responsibilities and claims of the parties in the final settling of accounts under the YSE 1998.

 

9/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted Etelä-Savon Taksi Oy in the assessment of competition law related questions concerning the recent legislative amendments in the Finnish transport sector.

 

8/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers Attorneys Ltd. assisted Astra Wines Oy and its remaining shareholder in the restructuring of the company’s ownership. 

 

5/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a company and its representatives as our clients in a police investigation wherein our clients were suspected of an aggravated environmental crime. After our written statement on behalf of our clients, the prosecutor made the decision not to prosecute any of our clients. 

 

3/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted Oy KILROY Finland Ab in business related assignments. 

 

11/2017

In a corporate crime related case Huhtamäki Brothers advised a creditor client company as an injured party in the District Court of Pirkanmaa. The criminal charges in this case concerned the illegal transfer of funds in a debtor company by its executive and a third person. The District Court convicted the mentioned executive and third person, and held them jointly liable in compensating our client for the damages it had suffered as a result of illegal asset transfers in the debtor company (including all legal fees). The judgement of the District Court was later successfully enforced and our client was compensated in full. The judgement is final.

 

6/2017

Huhtamaki Brothers represented ProtectPipe, a Finnish microbiotechnology company, in the structuring and agreement drafting of its distribution arrangements in the EU and various other countries. ProtectPipe is a rapidly growing Finnish company specialized in the manufacture and production of non-toxic and environmental friendly bacteria which cleans household and industrial sewers.

 

2/2017

We represented our client as a claimant in an arbitration proceeding concerning the terms of a shareholders’ agreement. The dispute is governed by the rules of The Arbitration Institute of the Finland Chamber of Commerce. 

 

1/2017

We assisted our clients in a dispute relating to a startup company’s shareholders’ agreements and Finnish company law. The case was later settled with the majority owner of the company and our clients received monetary compensation.

1/2023

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a service provider regarding the termination of its frame service agreement. In part of the termination, the adverse party made unfounded claims that our client would have breached inter alia non-compete obligations of the agreement. The matter was settled prior to litigation.

 

12/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers represented an industrial company in a dispute against its energy and electricity distributing company. The District Court ruled in favour of our client.

 

11/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a subcontractor in a dispute against another construction company concerning contractual monetary claims. Both the District Court of Itä-Uusimaa and the Helsinki Court of Appeals ruled entirely in our client’s favor and ordered the opposing party also to compensate majority of our client’s legal costs.

As a set-off-claim, the opposing party claimed that our client had breached a non-competition clause set forth in a subcontract. Both Courts considered based on our defence that the non-compete clause was in breach of Section 5 of the Competition Act and therefore void.

 

9/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers represented a construction company in its appeal of Länsi-Uusimaa District Court’s judgment concerning alleged errors in the construction of over 10 houses in the City of Vantaa.

 

9/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a middle-sized construction company in a dispute against a major construction company in which the counterparty presented our client with claims worth more than 300 000 EUR. The dispute was settled with a settlement agreement in which both parties agreed to stand for their own costs and not to claim compensation from the other party.

 

8/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to FC Lahti, a club competing in the Finnish premier football league (Veikkausliiga), in its appeal to the decision of Lahti local police by which the police had ordered FC Lahti to play its premier league match against HIFK without spectators. FC Lahti claimed that the police’s decision was unlawful and unfounded. The Finnish Supreme Administrative Court accepted FC Lahti’s appeal, overturned the local police’s decision and deemed it as unlawful.

 

2/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to a middle-sized construction company in a construction litigation case against a major construction company in front of the District Court of Helsinki wherein the parties had presented claims against each other in total worth of over EUR 1,800,000. The matter was settled during a mediation proceeding whereby the adverse party agreed to pay our client above EUR 370,000.

 

12/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted an order brokerage services company in the taxi and transportation sector in one of the largest national public procurement tenders regarding government paid transportation services in Finland. Our client was selected as one of the service providers within several provinces.

 

1/2022

Huhtamäki Brothers drafted a managing director’s agreement for a Finnish public company.

 

12/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers drafted a shareholders’ agreement for a middle-sized car repair company.

 

11/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted an IT service provider terminating several IT service agreements and drafting new IT service agreements (under Finnish IT2015 and IT2018 terms).

 

8/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers acted as counsel to the Board of a Finnish limited liability company in front of a Finnish District Court, defending them against claims worth over 6 MEUR brought by the company's minority shareholder. After several written statements the claimant decided to discontinue the proceedings without any demands. The decision is final.

 

4/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers successfully assisted and advised the Finnish Ice Hockey Players’ Association (FHPA) in drafting and negotiating the Finnish professional ice hockey league’s (i.e. Jääkiekon SM-Liiga Oy’s, the Elite League) and FHPA’s collective agreement. The agreement addresses among other things the Elite League’s strictly limited right to use players’ pictures and identifying information in a commercial manner against financial consideration paid to the FHPA as well as the terms related to the working conditions and employment terms of professional ice hockey players in Finland. Our partner Matti J. Huhtamäki was interviewed by several news outlets as the counsel to FHPA (see e.g. MTV3).

 

1/2021

Huhtamäki Brothers advised a team of employees concerning non-compete and certain related obligations as their former employer (major technology company) alleged that the team had breached such obligations by engaging in allegedly competitive activities. The matter was settled for a nominal settlement sum and other standard conditions. As a result of such settlement, the parties avoided major multi-party litigation proceedings.

 

12/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a Helsinki-based construction company in two construction contract disputes. The disputes were settled before the District Court’s preparatory hearings as the adverse parties paid a significant settlement compensation to our client. Further court proceedings were averted.

 

11/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a Vantaa based taxi company in its debt restructuring proceeding by filing a restructuring application to the District Court of Länsi-Uusimaa (with jurisdiction, inter alia, over the municipalities of Espoo and Vantaa) and obtaining recommendations from our client’s creditors for the application. The COVID 19 pandemic had caused severe damage to our client’s businesses. As a result, the District Court ruled in favour of the application and started the restructuring proceedings after one day of deliberation.

 

9/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a construction company and its owner by filing applications to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland’s decisions on punitative additional tax and tax surcharges. Our clients consider these decisions unlawful pursuant to Article 6 of the ECHR.

 

2/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers represented an employee shareholder in an employment termination and shareholder agreement related dispute. Prior to the initiation of legal action, our client and the employer company reached a settlement whereby the employee shareholder received a significant supplementary payment for the termination of the employment relationship and the redemption of the employee’s shares in the company.

 

1/2020

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a restaurant entrepreneur in a tax and book keeping related criminal matter in the District Court of Oulu. The prosecutor demanded that our client be sentenced to probational imprisonment along with a minimum three to four year business prohibition. After the District Court’s main hearing and during the final statements the prosecutor renounced all charges and claims against our client. Accordingly, the Court dismissed the prosecutor’s indictments and claims in the matter, and ordered the Finnish State to compensate all of our client’s legal fees and costs (in total over EUR 17,000). The Court’s decision is final.

 

10/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a shareholder of a limited liability company in an assignment concerning the validity of a shareholders’ agreement and suspected abuse of majority shareholder power. The parties reached an agreement where our client receives a fair value for his shares and where all of our client’s fees in the matter are compensated in full.

 

5/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a medium-sized construction company in a construction contract dispute. Our client, the contractor and plaintiff in the matter, claimed the contract price in full from the respondent customer based on the performed construction work and underlying contract order made by power of attorney. The dispute concerned the scope of the contract, ordered work, and the contract price. The matter was settled in the District Court’s preparatory hearing where the respondent agreed to compensate 73 % of our client’s claims. As a result of this settlement, the parties averted further court proceedings.

 

3/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers advised TF Bank AB’s group company in its cooperation arrangement with Hansapost concerning certain e-commerce related payment and financial solutions.

 

12/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a contractor company as its client in a police investigation concerning an alleged bribing in business crime. After our written statement on behalf of our client, the prosecutor made the decision not to prosecute our client for any crime.

 

11/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers is currently assisting a software company in a dispute regarding a shareholders’ agreement.

 

9/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a consulting company in drafting a shareholders’ agreement and executing a sale of shares.

 

6/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a real estate investor (private person) in drafting a shareholders’ agreement.

 

5/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a sports services company in drafting a shareholders’ agreement.

 

2/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a newly established property maintenance company in drafting a shareholders’ agreement.

 

10/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted a medium-sized construction company in an assignment regarding refund of employment pension insurance payments. The assignment included claiming refund of unfoundedly collected employment pension insurance payments from a pension insurance company. The matter was settled by agreement, where the employment pension insurance payments were refunded with interest to our client as claimed. Insurance Court proceeding were averted.

 

4/2019

Huhtamäki Brothers advised members of the Finnish Volkswagen and Audi Distributors’ Association in commenting and negotiating their dealer and repair service agreements with the Finnish importer.

 

6/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted Neliöx Oy in its debt restructuring proceeding by filing a restructuring application to a District Court and obtaining recommendations from our client’s creditors to the application. As a result, the District Court ruled in favor of the application and started the restructuring proceedings after one day of deliberation.

 

5/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted the owner and the Board of Suomen kalatustukku Oy in its bankruptcy proceeding. 

 

2/2018

Huhtamäki Brothers represented its plaintiff client in the District Court of Helsinki in an action for damages relating to a service contract. All claims made by our client were accepted as such, and the opposing party was ordered to compensate all of our client’s legal fees in full. The Court’s decision is final.

 

7/2017

Huhtamaki Brothers acted as counsel to MPY Palvelut Oyj, a Finnish ICT service provider, in its acquisition of the entire share capital of Net Man Oy.

 

11/2017

Huhtamäki Brothers assisted an owner-entrepreneur of a medium-sized construction company as its client in the Helsinki Court of Appeal in a proceeding concerning an alleged financial offense. The Act on Contractor’s Obligations and Liability as well as legislation and contractual practices of the construction sector were assessed in light of criminal liability. Huhtamäki Brothers had not assisted the entrepreneur in the District Court of Helsinki, where the entrepreneur had formerly been, according to charges, sentenced to imprisonment and significant financial liability. The Helsinki Court of Appeal overturned the District Court’s judgement in its entirety and acquitted our client of all liability adjudicated by the District Court. In addition, the Court of Appeal ordered the Finnish State to reimburse our client’s legal expenses of over 50 000.00 € and to restitute to our client over 100 000.00 € previously paid to the Finnish State. The decision is final. 

 

2016

Represented a major Finnish listed company and market leader in notifying two add-on acquisitions of competing businesses to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA). The first acquisition was unconditionally approved by the FCCA in Phase II while the second was unconditionally cleared before the end of Phase I (reference prior to the founding of Huhtamäki Brothers).