The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.
Bloomberg
LVMH countersued Tiffany & Co weeks after pulling out of its $16 billion purchase of the iconic New York-based jeweller, saying the decision was driven by the French government’s request to delay the deal’s closing and Tiffany’s mismanagement during the pandemic.
The maker of Louis Vuitton bags contends Tiffany’s business was devastated by the coronavirus outbreak and that provides proper grounds to nix the buyout, according to a filing in Delaware Chancery Court.
Tiffany sued LVMH earlier this month to force it to go forward with the deal, saying in a court filing that LVMH is trying to use the pandemic-induced downturn in the luxury sector to negotiate a lower acquisition price.
In its counterclaims, LVMH also cited a letter from French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian seeking a delay in closing the transaction as part of a trade war with the US. The letter amounts to a “legal restraint†under the terms of the buyout that prohibits the deal from closing by a November 24 deadline, LVMH’s lawyers noted in the 96-page filing.
Tiffany executives said they couldn’t immediately comment on LVMH’s countersuit. They have said in earlier filings that LVMH deployed the minister’s letter as a pretext
to wrongfully pull out of the purchase.
Judge Joseph Slights III has set a non-jury trial to decide whether LVMH must consummate the sale.