An ink-stained authorized drama has engulfed the household behind BIC pens, who’re preventing over at the very least $30 million value of the $2.7 billion firm’s shares, court docket data present.
After years of court docket battles, the daughter-in-law of founder Marcel Bich, who perfected the ballpoint pen and launched French firm Société Bic in 1945, has allegedly threatened to sue her three sons once more over the household fortune.
The trio, Gonzalve, Charles and Guillaume Bich, are begging a Manhattan decide to cease Veronique Bich, who married and divorced Marcel’s son Bruno, based on authorized papers.
Bruno Bich died in 2021.
“Having settled prior litigation with Ms. Bich last year, the [brothers] did not expect to find themselves back in this Court. They have no interest in litigating,” they stated in a brand new Manhattan Supreme Courtroom submitting.
“However, given Ms. Bich’s strong-arm tactics and repeated threats to sue them personally — yet again — if they do not surrender to her unjust demands, they have no choice but to again seek this Court’s protection.”
The present dispute facilities on a separate firm named Grenelle, which is owned by Veronique, Bruno’s property, and their youngsters and has belongings together with a Paris condominium and 400,000 shares of Société Bic S.A.
The Paris house is on Rue de Grenelle, the place flats can run from $1 million to $2 million or extra in worth.
Regardless of an settlement giving Veronique Bich a “lifetime, exclusive, rent-free use” of the Paris pad, she has fought in court docket for years in a bid to aim a “hostile takeover” of Grenelle — and simply final month threatened to sue her youngsters in the event that they didn’t comply with her newest calls for, the sons claimed.
“Given Ms. Bich’s prior, overzealous litigation campaigns against them and Grenelle, the [brothers] took Ms. Bich’s threat to sue them . . . seriously,” they wrote in authorized papers.
A lawyer for Veronique Bich didn’t return a message searching for remark.
