IN D U ST RY N EW S Realogy and SIRVA at loggerheads over Cartus deal Realogy Holdings Corp and SIRVA remain locked in a legal battle after SIRVA called off a US$400m agreement to acquire Realogys relocation business, Cartus. SIRVA had arranged to buy Cartus in an agreement made in November 2019, but now claims that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on Cartus to such an extent that it would be unable to full the criteria for successfully completing the deal. SIRVA also alleged that Realogy is close to insolvency and may not remain a going concern for long enough to complete. Realogy led a lawsuit against SIRVAs owners, Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP) and SIRVA Worldwide, to enforce the deal, and issued a statement saying: Realogy strongly believes that all conditions to closing of the transaction have been and continue to be satised, and that MDP and SIRVA have made false claims in an attempt to avoid their obligations under the purchase agreement in light of broad-based economic uncertainties due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The company said it believed it had satised all closing conditions and nancial information to meet its obligations under the purchase agreement, and that SIRVA was asserting a series of claims Realogy believes to be false. According to reports, Realogy states SIRVA is using the coronavirus pandemic as a material adverse event, which is a clause in the Cartus purchase agreement. Realogy strongly disagrees with SIRVAs position and will pursue all legal remedies to ensure that SIRVA and MDP honour the commitments made under the purchase agreement, it said. SIRVA issued a statement saying the business had been working diligently to successfully complete the acquisition of Cartus Relocation Services, but that it believed certain closing conditions that they are obligated to meet under the purchase agreement have not been, and cannot be, satised. It added that Realogys complaint addresses none of the issues raised by us and we believe the complaint constitutes a breach by Realogy of the purchase agreement. Realogy issued a motion calling for quick resolution with a trial in September, but this was rejected by the court. USTRANSCOM INTRODUCES COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOL USTRANSCOM has announced additional safety measures to protect Department of Defense (DoD) members and their families from COVID-19 during household goods moves. The new measures require that moving industry personnel adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health protection protocols during moves this includes wearing face coverings, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, regular hand sanitisation, and a minimum number of staff attending a move to enable social distancing. It is also asking for movers to provide certification, on arrival at a job, that its staff have been screened for illness in accordance with COVID-19 CDC guidelines for businesses and employers. The measures mean military families can deny entry to moving personnel or question them about adhering to health-protection protocols with the ability to terminate the move entirely, to reschedule, if they feel the moving crew is compromising their safety. Rick Marsh, director of the Defense Personal Property Program at USTRANSCOM, said: Moving is always stressful, and COVID only adds stress and uncertainty to the process. It is important DoD families know they are empowered to make decisions on the spot and that they have a voice in the process. Families also have resources available to them the military services are leaning forward to verify protocols are followed and take action on behalf of families if issues arise. Protecting the health of DoD personnel and their families is paramount. All military services US Army, Navy, Marines Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard have been asked to verify that moving companies are complying with these safety measures. 14 FF297 JunJul20 pp10-17 Ind News.indd 14 Rick Marsh, director of the Defense Personal Property Program at USTRANSCOM WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 02/06/2020 12:20