FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — 1 November 2026
Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands offers a comprehensive examination of collective redress, litigation funding and damages claims under Dutch law.
Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands Published by Whitcombes
LONDON, 1 November 2026 — Whitcombes announces the publication of Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands, a new legal textbook by Dr Kees Jan Kuilwijk, an attorney at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and an experienced practitioner in European competition law and collective litigation.
The book examines the development and operation of the Dutch Act on Collective Damages in Class Actions (WAMCA), which entered into force in January 2020 and introduced a comprehensive framework for pursuing collective damages claims on an opt-out basis.
The WAMCA has established the Netherlands as an increasingly important European jurisdiction for collective litigation. Proceedings involving major international companies, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Airbus, Stellantis and TikTok, have raised fundamental questions about jurisdiction, admissibility, representative organisations, litigation funding and the assessment of damages.
Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands provides a systematic examination of these questions, drawing extensively on Dutch and European case law. It follows collective proceedings from their commencement through jurisdiction and admissibility to settlement, damages assessment and distribution.
Representative Organisations and Judicial Supervision
Particular attention is devoted to the requirements imposed on organisations representing claimants. Unlike the American class action system, Dutch collective litigation is conducted by foundations and associations subject to judicial supervision. Courts scrutinise their governance, independence, expertise and representativeness, as well as their relationships with litigation funders.
Funding, Damages and Comparative Analysis
The book also examines the economics of collective redress. Where unlawful conduct causes relatively small losses to large numbers of consumers or businesses, individual litigation is often economically impracticable. Collective proceedings offer a means of obtaining compensation that would otherwise remain beyond reach.
Separate chapters address litigation funding, aggregate damages, cartel overcharges, the assignment of claims and compensation for non-material harm under Article 82 of the General Data Protection Regulation.
Comparative chapters examine the Dutch framework alongside collective proceedings before the United Kingdom’s Competition Appeal Tribunal and class actions under Rule 23 of the United States Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
The book concludes with an assessment of the future of collective justice in the Netherlands and includes comprehensive tables of cases and legislation, a detailed index and an English translation of the principal WAMCA provisions.
About the Author
Dr Kees Jan Kuilwijk has more than thirty years of experience in competition law and has acted in some of Europe’s largest antitrust damages proceedings. He is currently involved in several WAMCA actions. He holds a PhD, awarded cum laude, from the European University Institute in Florence and serves on the Advisory Committee of Winward Litigation Finance.
Publication Details
Title: Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands
Author: Dr Kees Jan Kuilwijk
Publisher: Whitcombes
Publication date: 1 November 2026
Formats: Hardcover, eBook and quarterly updated eBook
The book is intended for legal practitioners, judges, academics, litigation funders, representative organisations and others involved in European collective redress.
Available Editions of the Book
Whitcombes publishes Class Action Litigation in the Netherlands in three editions, so readers can choose the format that suits how they work:
- Hardcover edition: a 526-page professionally bound print copy for libraries, practitioners and academic collections (ISBN 978-1-0654444-2-8).
- eBook edition: the complete book in PDF and EPUB format, with the full analysis, case law and references available wherever you work.
- Quarterly updated eBook: a maintained edition revised every three months to reflect new WAMCA judgments, legislative developments and other changes in Dutch collective redress.
All three editions contain the full text of 18 chapters, together with tables of cases and legislation, a detailed index and an English translation of the principal WAMCA provisions.
