Fishy 14 Million ISK Lawsuit Dismissed

Reykjavík District Court dismissed last week the most stereotypically Icelandic of lawsuits: it involved fish and poor business decisions.

Fish processing company Tor sought 14 million ISK in a lawsuit it brought against its one-time chemical supplier, Katla, Vísir reports. In 2014, Tor began processing fish with a new additive, N242, which it bought from Katla for the purpose of making the fish weigh more. The treated fish was then shipped to the company Seafood Holdings in the UK.

The British company refused to use the fish, saying it was not fit for human consumption, complaining of high levels of ammonia. Seafood Holdings reduced its subsequent orders from Tor, which lost millions of ISK in sales.

However, Katla asserted that the damage done to the fish had nothing to do with N242, and pointed out that there may have been an easier solution. They astutely suggested that Tor, which had a years-long relationship with Seafood Holdings, should have told them of the problem and their intention to switch back to their untainted stock. The court agreed, and the lawsuit was dismissed.