A group of bus operators filed a class action lawsuit seeking to ban BlaBlaCar operations in the Russian Federation and to prohibit the information posted on BlaBlaCar’s platfrom. The claimant and the joining operators argued that BlaBlaCar was in breach of passenger and consumer protection laws, and that the advertisements being posted on BlaBlaCar’s official website and on its mobile application were breaking Russian tax law.

Attorneys of the Firm proved in the Moscow Arbitrazh Court that BlaBlaCar’s operation was in compliance with the laws, and the information on joint long-distance travels was not prohibited in Russia. The court also supported the Firm’s arguments on the lawsuit not being a claim in protection of the rights and legal interests of a group, and that the claimants had no right to raise such claims. As a result, the lawsuit was quickly dismissed.

The client was represented by Valery Eremenko, partner and co-head of the litigation practice, associate Ilya Novoselov, and junior associates Alexander Frenkel and Anna Kalashnikova.