Renault heirs lose bid for court review of WWII nationalization

The heirs of Renault SA’s founder lost a bid to have a court review the 1945 nationalization of the carmaker in a case that dates back to allegations that Louis Renault collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

The court said it didn’t have jurisdiction to take the case in a ruling today. The court agreed with the French government and Paris prosecutors, who argued that previous court rulings against the family were binding.

Seven of Louis Renault’s heirs asked the court to allow them to challenge the constitutionality of the state’s takeover, which could have allowed them to pursue reimbursement for the property seizure. The family argued that since Renault, arrested for allegedly collaborating with the Nazis, died in prison awaiting trial, they were unfairly punished when French authorities refused to compensate his survivors.

The heirs are considering an appeal, their lawyer Louis- Marie de Roux, said after the ruling.

The Boulogne Billancourt-based carmaker isn’t involved in the case. The French government is currently Renault’s biggest shareholder with a 15 percent stake.

A union and a group representing French people deported during World War II opposed the Renault family members’ request, saying Louis Renault collaborated with the Germans, allowing the automaker’s factories to be used for the Nazis.