Mercedes-Benz Australia officials referred to dealers as “little piglets” in internal communication, according to evidence presented last week at the start of a trial in a $500 million lawsuit filed against the automaker.
A lawyer for the 38 dealers suing Mercedes-Benz said they were bullied and threatened by the company as it moved to a business model that turns the retailers into agents who sell vehicles at fixed prices. Under the arrangement, Mercedes owns the vehicles and dealers receive a commission for each sale.
The trial began with a Mercedes lawyer attempting to keep the dealers from using documents the automaker claims are confidential. But Federal Court of Australia Justice Jonathan Beach allowed the documents to be used.
“I can’t for the life of me see any reason I should protect this document for your benefit,” Beach said, according to the Australian Financial Review. “Just because something is about Mercedes-Benz’s strategy doesn’t make it confidential.”