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 The West German retailer ASKO Deutsche Kaufhaus AG plans to challenge the legality of a widely employed anti-takeover defense of companies in the Netherlands.
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 The eventual court decision could become a landmark in Dutch corporate law 
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because the lawsuit 
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ASKO plans to file 
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would be the first
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 to challenge the entire principle and practice of companies 
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issuing voting preferred shares to management-controlled trusts 
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to dilute voting power of common stockholders.
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 Up to now only specific aspects of these defenses have been challenged, though unsuccessfully,
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 ASKO's Dutch lawyers noted.
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 Should the courts uphold the validity of this type of defense, 
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ASKO will then ask the court to overturn such a vote-diluting maneuver 
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recently deployed by Koninklijke Ahold NV.
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 ASKO says
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 the Dutch-based international food retailer hadn't reasonable grounds to issue preferred stock to a friendly trust
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 and thus dilute the worth and voting power of ASKO and other shareholders.
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 Speaking through its Dutch lawyers,
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 ASKO also disclosed 
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it holds a 15% stake in Ahold. 
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It was previously thought ASKO held a 13.6% stake 
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that was accumulated since July.
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 A spokesman for Ahold said 
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his company is confident of its own position and the propriety of the preferred-share issue.
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 He termed ASKO's legal actions as unproductive to international cooperation among European retailers.
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