In Re: Chiquita Brands International, Inc., Alien Tort Statute and Shareholders Derivative Litigation

  1. July 09, 2024

    Chiquita Says $38M Verdict Must Be Reduced

    Chiquita said Monday that the $38.3 million verdict won by the families of victims of Colombian right-wing paramilitaries that were funded by the banana grower should be reduced because the damages awarded far exceed the caps on non-economic damages in Colombian law.

  2. June 24, 2024

    $12.8M Deal Ending Some Chiquita MDL Claims Gets Approval

    A Florida federal judge said Monday he would sign off on a proposed $12.8 million settlement between Chiquita Brands International Inc. and some of the victims suing the banana company over its funding of Colombian paramilitary groups.

  3. June 20, 2024

    Attys In Chiquita Case Say Victims Can't Proceed Together

    A long-standing rift among plaintiffs' attorneys for victims of violence committed by paramilitary groups funded by Chiquita Brands International Inc. has reached a fever pitch, as attorneys have now told the court they cannot proceed together in a second bellwether trial of the multidistrict litigation set to start next month.

  4. June 10, 2024

    Victims Of Chiquita-Funded Paramilitaries Win $38M Award

    The first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation against Chiquita over its funding of right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region ended with a victory Monday afternoon for nearly all the plaintiffs, as a Florida federal jury awarded them $38.3 million in damages for the losses of their loved ones killed by paramilitaries.

  5. June 07, 2024

    First Trial Over Chiquita Paramilitary Payments Goes To Jury

    A Florida federal jury on Friday began deliberating whether Chiquita is liable for several deaths at the hands of right-wing paramilitary organization Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia although deliberations paused in the afternoon and are scheduled to resume on Monday.

  6. June 06, 2024

    Victims Say Chiquita Paramilitary Payments Weren't Extortion

    Attorneys for the families of people killed by right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region asked jurors Thursday for an amount totaling tens of millions of dollars in damages as they closed out their Florida federal case against Chiquita, arguing the company willingly funded paramilitary groups.

  7. May 31, 2024

    Ex-DEA Agent Told Jury Chiquita Was 'Victimized' By Militants

    A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent took the stand Friday in the federal trial against Chiquita Brands International Inc., testifying to jurors in Florida court that right-wing paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia was the leading supplier of cocaine and "victimized" the company by using it to smuggle drugs.

  8. May 28, 2024

    Chiquita Ops Chief Says Militant Leader Extorted Company

    Chiquita's former head of Colombia operations took the stand Tuesday for the second time in a trial over the banana company's funding of right-wing paramilitaries, recounting to jurors how he was summoned to the house of a notorious paramilitary boss to convey what he said were threats on the company's business.

  9. May 14, 2024

    Fighters Likely Killed Victims In Chiquita Case, Academic Says

    A Colorado professor took the stand Tuesday in Chiquita's trial over accusations that it financed a right-wing Colombian paramilitary group that committed war crimes against civilians, testifying in Florida federal court that it was "extremely likely" the militants killed several men whose deaths family members blame on the banana company.

  10. May 02, 2024

    Chiquita Paid Militants To Save Lives, Ex-Ops Chief Testifies

    Chiquita's former head of Colombia operations testified in Florida federal court Thursday on payments he approved to militant groups in the country during a period of intense warfare in the 1990s, saying his company was left with little choice but to make the payments because workers' "lives were at stake."