A Florida jury has mandated Chiquita Brands International to compensate $38.3 million to the families of eight Colombian individuals deceased due to actions by a paramilitary group. This decision follows Chiquita's 2007 acknowledgment of financial interactions with the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), where it was fined $25 million by a U.S. court for settling criminal allegations. Chiquita admitted to making payments labeled as protection money between 2001 and 2004, asserting it was a measure to safeguard its employees.
The U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida's jury, in the civil litigation, concluded that Chiquita's financial contributions to the AUC were substantial enough to foreseeably escalate the risk of harm. The verdict clarified that the AUC was responsible for the deaths, and Chiquita failed to demonstrate that its support was solely a response to immediate threats against its operations or personnel.
"The verdict does not bring back the husbands and sons who were killed, but it sets the record straight and places accountability for funding terrorism where it belongs: at Chiquita's doorstep," stated Agnieszka Fryszman, a representative lawyer for the plaintiffs.
Source: reuters.com