Cleanwrap Loses Again in Second Trial of Damages Lawsuit Against Coupang

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Food packaging company Cleanwrap filed a lawsuit against Coupang seeking damages but lost in both the first and second trials. They claimed that the transaction was unilaterally terminated, but the court did not accept this.

According to the legal community on the 1st, the Seoul High Court Civil Division 12-2 ruled against Cleanwrap in the appeal trial of the damages lawsuit filed against Coupang, just as in the first trial. Earlier, Cleanwrap reported to the Fair Trade Commission in July 2019 that Coupang had unilaterally stopped supply transactions that had been ongoing for years with its agency. The following September, they also filed a civil lawsuit claiming damages due to Coupang’s termination of the transaction.

Cleanwrap argued that Coupang demanded direct transactions with the headquarters instead of supplying through the agency and unilaterally stopped product orders from the agency. On the other hand, Coupang countered that the decision was made after consultation with the agency. They also claimed that they had approached Cleanwrap for direct transactions over several years but were rejected without reasonable grounds.

The first trial court did not recognize Cleanwrap’s claim and ruled a complete loss for the plaintiff. Dissatisfied with the first trial ruling, they appealed, but the appellate court maintained the same judgment. The Fair Trade Commission, which investigated the case, also concluded the following year that there was no violation of the Fair Trade Act.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.