A Bonn regional court has dismissed a €469 million lawsuit brought by Pure Fashion Agency against the German government over pandemic-era mask supplies, ruling that no purchase contract was ever formed. The Hamburg-based textile firm sought €287 million in base damages plus interest stemming from email exchanges in March 2020 between company representative Matthias Timm and then-Health Minister Jens Spahn.
Judge Stefan Bellin determined the emails constituted a mere expression of interest rather than a binding contractual offer. The court additionally found that even had a contract existed, claims would have been time-barred after a 2023 payment demand was deemed inadmissible.
The ruling is not yet final. The plaintiff's lawyer is reviewing a possible appeal to the Cologne Higher Regional Court within a one-month deadline. Nearly 100 other companies have filed similar pandemic mask lawsuits against the German state.