In 2012, more than 250 people died in the fire that engulfed the factory of KiK's supplier in Pakistan. Should KiK be responsible for working conditions in its supplier company? A court in Germany is set to decide.  A German regional court in Dortmund on Thursday began proceedings in a lawsuit against discount-clothing chain KiK, which plaintiffs claim is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in a factory fire in Pakistan...The plaintiffs are seeking €30,000 each ($34,000) in compensation for the pain and suffering caused by the fire, and want KiK to be held responsible for the deaths...

Before the start of the proceedings, KiK's CEO, Patrick Zahn, told the daily newspaper Handelsblatt that withdrawing production from countries with dubious working conditions "is not an option."  "That wouldn't help the people in those countries at all," he said.  Referring to the 2012 Karachi fire, Zahn said it was a case of criminal arson, not of his company's negligence.  "This was not a violation of the company's duty of care," he said...