Gelsenkirchen: 18 Lawsuits Filed After Million-Euro Sparkasse Heist

The number of lawsuits against Gelsenkirchen's Sparkasse has risen to 18 as customers seek full compensation after a large-scale break-in at the bank in late 2025. The claimants are alleging security deficiencies and demanding reimbursement for the entire contents of their safe deposit boxes, which were reportedly breached by unknown individuals.

During the 2025 incident, over 3,000 safe deposit boxes were reportedly broken into. The perpetrators gained access through the underground parking garage, entered a bank archive, and then used a specialized drill to penetrate the vault. Estimates place the total damage in the tens or even hundreds of millions of euros.

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There have been well over a hundred payouts, and further affected individuals are being contacted. Even claimants represented by lawyers have been contacted and received compensation.

While Sparkasse's contractual liability for each safe deposit box is typically limited to a maximum of 10,300 Euros, the customers are pursuing full restitution. The bank stated that it began making initial payouts from safe deposit box insurance in early July. However, Daniel Kuhlmann, a lawyer representing several hundred claimants, expressed strong criticism, asserting that to his knowledge, no insurance sums have been paid out in any of the cases he is handling.

A spokesperson for Sparkasse refuted these claims, stating that "well over a hundred payouts" have been made and that further affected individuals are being contacted. The spokesperson added that "overwhelmingly positive feedback" has been received regarding the bank's damage management. The bank maintains that the safe deposit boxes were secured according to the recognized state of the art, while the plaintiffs argue that security measures in the building, vault, and parking garage were inadequate.

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To my knowledge, in no case known to me has the insurance sum actually been paid out.