Chiquita Brands International Must Pay Millions to Plaintiffs in AUC Suit esquire com news-politics politics a61070209 chiquita-auc-suit-victory The End of an ‘Unholy Alliance’ Between Chiquita and a Paramilitary Group Plaintiffs in a suit against the company just won a major settlement By Charles P PiercePublished Jun 11 2024 12 06 PM EDT Obscured by various shiny objects in Washington and elsewhere a monumental victory for human rights was won in a federal court in Florida on Monday From the BBC A court in the United States has found multinational fruit company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing a Colombian paramilitary group The group the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia AUC was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation at the time The AUC engaged in widespread human rights abuses including murdering people it suspected of links with left-wing rebels Following a civil case brought by eight Colombian families whose relatives were killed by the AUC Chiquita has been ordered to pay $38 3m £30m in damages to the families The jury in the case which was heard in a federal court in South Florida found Chiquita responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight men murdered by the AUC The victims ranged from trade unionists to banana workers The suit was filed seven years ago after Chiquita pleaded guilty to making payments to the hired thugs of the AUC who in the long foul history of American corporate imperialism— backed of course when necessary by military imperialism—were notable for their brutality From the National Security Archive 1 2 This trial focused on nine bellwether cases among hundreds of claims that have been brought against Chiquita by victims of AUC violence The nine plaintiffs were represented by EarthRights International Rights Advocates and other attorneys who years ago agreed to consolidate their claims against Chiquita and collaborate in multidistrict litigation MDL in the U S District Court for Southern Florida Today the jury found Chiquita liable in eight of the nine cases presented to them Plaintiffs contended that Chiquita willingly entered into “an unholy alliance with the AUC ” a group responsible for horrible atrocities and grave human rights abuses at a time when the banana company was buying land and expanding its presence in Colombia’s violent banana-growing region Attorneys for Chiquita argued that the company was “clearly extorted” by the AUC and had no choice but to make the payments The National Security Archive was instrumental not only in developing the documentation behind this suit but also in establishing for the historical record the story of Chiquita’s perfidy in Colombia The evidence produced at both trials proved that Chiquita had laundered $800 000 through front groups to the AUC which certainly put the money to good use While the AUC claimed to have been created to defend landowners from attacks and extortion attempts by left-wing rebels the paramilitary group more often acted as a death squad for drug traffickers At its height it had an estimated 30 000 members who engaged in intimidation drug trafficking extortion forced displacement and killings It also launched brutal attacks on villagers they suspected of supporting left-wing rebels The group demobilised in 2006 after reaching a peace deal with the government but some of its members went on to form new splinter groups which continue to be active The extent of the crimes committed by this government and by its proxies in this hemisphere may never be completely unwound In the long view of history the Monroe Doctrine turned out to be a land grab But piecemeal justice is better than none at all Chiquita owes the plaintiffs here so much more than money but money would do for a start Charles P Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books most recently Idiot America and has been a working journalist since 1976   2 2