Liability Of Parent Companies For Damages Resulting Of Antitrust Violations: Drawing The Line Between Civil And Administrative Proceedings Under Brazilian Competition Law

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Published: Jul 5, 2025
Keywords:
Antitrust, Civil Liability, Shareholder liability, Corporate groups, Compensation for competition damages

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Juliano Maranhão
João Navas
Beatriz Sousa
a:1:{s:5:"pt_BR";s:17:"Maranhão Menezes";}

Abstract

This article examines the limits of parent company liability for antitrust damages under Brazilian law, distinguishing between administrative and civil enforcement mechanisms. While Article 33 of the Brazilian Competition Act allows for joint and several liability within corporate groups in administrative proceedings, civil liability for antitrust damages is governed by the general tort regime of the Civil Code and requires proof of fault, causation, and individual harm. The article also analyzes the restrictive conditions under which a parent company may be held liable—either by acting as a de facto manager or through piercing the corporate veil. Finally, it explores the role of the objective good faith principle in preventing contradictory procedural conduct across administrative and civil fora.

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How to Cite
Maranhão, J., Navas, J., & Sousa, B. (2025). Liability Of Parent Companies For Damages Resulting Of Antitrust Violations: Drawing The Line Between Civil And Administrative Proceedings Under Brazilian Competition Law. Revista Do IBRAC, (1), 9–32. Retrieved from https://revista.ibrac.org.br/index.php/revista/article/view/1129
Issue
No. 1 (2025)
Section
Artigos para Revista do IBRAC
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Juliano Maranhão

Professor da Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo (FDUSP), pósdoutorado pelo Departamento de Ciência da Computação da Universidade de Utrecht e pela Faculdade de Direito da Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main, sócio Fundador do Maranhão & Menezes Advogados, diretor da Associação Lawgorithm de Pesquisa em Inteligência Artificial.

João Navas

Bacharel pela Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo (FDUSP), advogado na Maranhão & Menezes Advogados Associados, coordenador do Grupo de Pesquisa em Transição Energética e Tecnologia do Legal Grounds Institute.

Beatriz Sousa, a:1:{s:5:"pt_BR";s:17:"Maranhão Menezes";}

Bacharela pela Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo (FDUSP) com dupla graduação pela Université de Lyon, advogada em Maranhão & Menezes Advogados, coordenadora do Núcleo de Regulação de Mercados Digitais do Legal Grounds Institute

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