The owner of the confectionary company "Nelly" from Loznica, Mitar Obradović, announced that, together with his legal team, "of certainly 20 a lawyer", file criminal charges against everyone who is on social networks called for a boycott of its products.
Lawyer Nemanja Z. Milenković tells "Vreme" that Obradović would have to prove that the people who called for a boycott caused damage to the company and that he would also have to prove the amount, for which, according to his estimation, he has a 30 percent chance.
Obradović claims that "Nelly" is a protected intellectual property and that the attack on "Nelly" will not be seen as an insult to the honor of 300.000 dinars, but that an economic expert will calculate the value of the factory, which is why those who called for a boycott of its products will pay a fine of 100.000 euros.
"You are paying a fine of 100.000 euros, friend, because you are damaging the 'Nelly' brand. When you write 'boycott', you will pay a fine of at least 100.000 euros. We will sue you all, and we will win you in court and you will pay the fines, I promise you that. I will not calm down until I find each of you individually, and you pay the fines through the court, and that will be done by my team of people," Obradović told the Telegraf tabloid.
"The chances of not winning the dispute are 70 percent"
Lawyer Nemanja Z. Milenković tells "Vreme" that the damage from the boycott can only be determined by the discretion of an expert, or later a judge.
"I don't know how he would form a claim, but I was taught that almost anything is possible in this country." "I would not say at all whether he is right or wrong, but in my opinion, in terms of percentages, 70 percent would not win the dispute," says Milenkovic.
He points out that Obradović can try, "because he has money to scare people, so he can play and lose."
"Every court proceeding is expensive. In my practice, I warn people when I think they are going to lose the case, but there are those who get stuck, say they don't care and go all the way. On the other hand, our courts also seem to apply the right of fairness in proceedings. Why would a judge convict someone for nothing, which would ruin those powerful people, even if he was politically protected? "I don't believe that he would succeed in the dispute, but it is certainly a cause for concern, in any case it is not a pleasant situation, but I do not believe that he will succeed because there are very few grounds," Milenkovic concluded.
Boycott because of the attitude towards the workers
The company "Nelly" came under attack from the internet community because an alleged document appeared in the public, in which Obradović allegedly addresses his employees and violates the rights of workers.
In the announcement, on which Obradović's name appears, but there is neither his signature nor his seal, it is stated, among other things, that any shift that "does not do the norm" will receive the minimum wage. It is stated that as of December 1, "free days" will be canceled and they will be used only with the approval of human resources manager Pavle Grujić and owner Mitar Obradović.
In that alleged announcement, it is also written that an employee who "does not come to work without permission" will be fired, that the norm that the employees must meet during the coming week will be announced on Mondays, and that if the norm is not met in during the week, "working Sundays for free".
Outraged by such alleged treatment of Nelly employees, many people on the Internet called for a boycott of the company's products.
Obradovic stated that the statement was "fabricated".
