Law and contracts

• Scope: compensation claims, lawsuits, active and passive claims

As a result of delayed vehicle deliveries and vehicle defects, operating difficulties and breaches of contract or non-compliance events arise with respect to contracting organizations in regional transport. Higher expenses and penalty payments combined with lower revenues from fares are the result. Ensuing damage claims are asserted against the manufacturers.

Provisions have been made for legal and contractual risks based on an assessment of their probability of occurrence.

Compliance with current laws, company guidelines and recognized regulatory standards is the task and duty of every DB Group employee. It is the mission of our compliance de­­partment to ensure compliance with such criteria.

With its very high purchasing volume and over 40,000 suppliers, DB Group is one of the largest purchasers in Germany. Large-scale capital expenditures mean that the infrastructure business units in particular are exposed to a significant risk of becoming the target and victim of corruption, cartel agreements or fraud. As a provider of grants, the Federal Government places high demands on DB Group with its anti-corruption guidelines.

Opportunities arise from the discovery of cartels that op­­erated in the past and the enforcement of claims for dam­ages against cartel members. DB Group is seeking compensation for damage in over ten cases. This relates, amongst other issues, to cartels in trucks, rails, air freight, lifts and escalators, prestressing of steel, giro card and con­­tainer transports. In more than ten other cases, DB Group is still determining if damage has been caused.