18 lawsuits filed after million-euro safe deposit box heist at Gelsenkirchen Sparkasse
Customers of a Gelsenkirchen Sparkasse robbed in a late-2025 heist targeting over 3,000 safe deposit boxes have filed 18 lawsuits seeking full compensation, as a court-appointed expert review and a dispute over insurance payouts continue.
The burglary
At the end of 2025, unknown perpetrators broke into a Sparkasse branch in Gelsenkirchen, opening more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes. They entered through the bank's underground garage, reached an archive room, and then used a special drill to penetrate into the vault. The total damage is estimated to run into the tens or even hundreds of millions of euros.
Lawsuits and contractual limits
As of 15 August 2026, 18 lawsuits have been filed against the Sparkasse, with the next trial scheduled for 10 September at the Essen Regional Court. Plaintiffs accuse the bank of inadequate security measures in the bank building, the vault, and the adjacent underground garage, and are seeking full compensation for the contents of their boxes. Contractually, reimbursement is limited to a maximum of 10,300 euros per safe deposit box, a cap the plaintiffs want overturned on grounds of negligence.
The bank rejects the accusations, arguing that the safe deposit boxes were secured according to the recognized state of the art.
- Unknown perpetrators break into Gelsenkirchen Sparkasse, opening over 3,000 safe deposit boxes via underground garage and special drill
- First civil lawsuits begin at Essen Regional Court
- Sparkasse reports starting first insurance payouts to affected customers
- 18 lawsuits filed; court still searching for security expert
- Next civil trial scheduled at Essen Regional Court
Court proceedings paused
The first civil trials began in mid-June 2026 at the Essen Regional Court. The court subsequently suspended the proceedings to appoint an expert to assess the bank's security measures. The search for a suitable specialist is still ongoing, according to a court spokeswoman.
Dispute over insurance payouts
In early July 2026, the Sparkasse said it had begun the first payouts from its safe deposit box insurance. Lawyer Daniel Kuhlmann, who represents several hundred plaintiffs, sharply criticized the bank's claims, stating that to his knowledge no insurance sum had actually been paid out in any case he was familiar with.
A Sparkasse spokesman explicitly rejected Kuhlmann's account.
Far more than 100 payouts have been made so far, more affected persons are being contacted continuously. Even legally represented affected persons have already been contacted and received compensation.
The spokesman added that the bank's damage management has received "overwhelmingly positive feedback." The divergence between the two accounts leaves affected customers uncertain about when, and how much, they will recover as the litigation proceeds toward the September hearing.
