Heirs of Colombian Murder Victims Seek Damages from Chiquita

Nearly 700 heirs and estates of Colombian citizens allegedly killed by “a right-wing terrorist organization” that purportedly received financial and other support from Chiquita Brands International and its subsidiaries and affiliates have sued the companies seeking monetary, injunctive and declaratory relief. Does 1 through 677 v. Chiquita Brands Int’l, Inc., No. 11-00582 (D.D.C., filed March 17, 2011). The lawsuit involves claims and litigants not included in similar litigation filed in 2010. The plaintiffs, who claim to be the “family members of trade unionists, banana workers, political organizers, social activists, and others targeted and killed by terrorists,” allege that the defendants “funded, armed, and otherwise supported” a paramilitary organization “to produce bananas in an environment free from labor opposition and social disturbances.” According to the plaintiffs, the companies’ actions violated Colombian, U.S. and international law “prohibiting crimes against humanity, extrajudicial killing, torture, war crimes, and other abuses.”