December 5, 2013
Fresenius Helios joins Rhön-Klinikum AG in defending against lawsuit filed by B. Braun
Fresenius Helios will join Rhön-Klinikum AG in defending against the lawsuit filed by B. Braun Melsungen AG on November 21, 2013, which seeks to void the agreement between Fresenius Helios and Rhön-Klinikum on the sale of 43 hospitals and 15 outpatient facilities.
The lawsuit is without merit: the Management and Supervisory Boards of Rhön-Klinikum were in full compliance with all relevant laws when they entered into the purchase agreement. Approval of the sale by a general meeting of shareholders is not required. Separate legal opinions, which were obtained independently by Rhön-Klinikum and Fresenius before the contract was signed, confirmed this unanimously.
Ulf Mark Schneider, CEO of Fresenius, said: "We believe the lawsuit has no merit, and we will fully support Rhön-Klinikum in defending against it. We still want to resolve this matter amicably. But for that to happen, all the parties concerned must be ready to accept a reasonable solution."
The lawsuit by B. Braun has no suspensive effect on the transaction, which will be completed as soon as approval is received from Germany's Federal Cartel Office.
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of clinical trials, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. Fresenius does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.