Today, the District Court (Landgericht) Dortmund announced that it had granted four Pakistani plaintiffs, who are either victims or relatives of victims of a fire in a textile factory in Karachi, legal aid (Prozesskostenhilfe) to pursue their damages claims against KiK, a German textile retailer, in the German courts. On September 11, 2012, fire broke out during the late afternoon shift at a factory in Karachi and killed nearly 300 people. It was reported that hundreds of workers were trapped inside the factory, as the building had metal grilles on the windows and no fire exits. KiK did not operate the factory directly or indirectly, but sourced goods from the Pakistani operator of the factory (see here for the BBC’s coverage of the incident). Continue reading →