Chicken franchise bhc filed a lawsuit against BBQ, a competitor, alleging that it had spread malicious slander against the company, but lost.
The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Settlement Division 25 (Chief Judge Song Seung-woo) ruled that the plaintiff lost the first trial in the first trial of bhc's claim for damages against Genesis BBQ and Chairman Yoon Hong-geun today (23rd).
According to the industry, Mr. A, who was in charge of BBQ's marketing, recruited bloggers in April 2017 to write slanderous comments about bhc.
bhc filed a complaint with the police to investigate the case in May of the same year, and Mr. A was sent to trial on charges of obstruction of business and was sentenced to a 10 million won fine.
There were also suspicions that BBQ and Chairman Yoon were involved in Mr. A's crime, but they were dismissed.
In November 2020, bhc filed a lawsuit claiming compensation for damages against Mr. A, Chairman Yoon, and BBQ, saying, "The company image has been seriously damaged by spreading malicious content that is different from the facts." It was found that there was no obligation to pay compensation to the
Ahead of the first trial, bhc announced its intention to drop the lawsuit.
Mr. A agreed to withdraw the lawsuit, and the case was closed, but Chairman Yoon and BBQ are said to have submitted a letter of disapproval, saying, "We will prevent excessive litigation to harass competitors."
BBQ sold its former subsidiary, bhc, to an American private equity fund in 2013, and has been fighting legally through various accusations and lawsuits.
BBQ sued or filed a lawsuit against Bhc Chairman Park Hyun-jong and his employees about 10 times between 2013 and 2020, and bhc also filed several lawsuits against BBQ, including claims for damages.