In January 2021, EJE LAW successfully represented a large-scale distributor in the first-instance proceedings of a damages lawsuit filed by a supplier under the Large-Scale Distribution Business Act, involving claims of approximately KRW 5 billion. Although the distributor had previously been found to have violated the Act in a related Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) proceeding and was subject to a surcharge, EJE LAW successfully demonstrated that the alleged violation had caused no actual damages to the supplier. As a result, the court ruled in favor of the distributor.

This case is similar to a matter in which EJE LAW obtained a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court in February 2020, and once again reaffirms the principle that a violation of the Large-Scale Distribution Business Act does not necessarily constitute a tort giving rise to civil liability for damages.