Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chiquita Brands International Survives Motion to Dismiss

June 3, 2011

BSF filed a complaint on April 14, 2010, against Chiquita Brands International, Inc. on behalf of victims of terrorist acts in Colombia. The acts were committed by a foreign terrorist organization, United Self-Defense Groups of Colombia (Autodefensorias Unidas de Colombia or “AUC”) to which Chiquita made regular financial payments over a number of years. The complaint, filed in US District Court in the Southern District of Florida, seeks in excess of $1 billion in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages.

On June 3, Chiquita's motion to dismiss the case was largely denied; our main claims on behalf of over 1300 plaintiffs will now proceed.

Please follow the below links for media coverage of this case.

Reuters, June 6, 2011
Chiquita case will turn on what company knew about terror group
http://newsandinsight.thomsonreuters.com/New_York/News/2011/0...

Bloomberg, June 6, 2011
Chiquita Fails to Halt Suit Over Colombia Torture, Murder
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2011-06-06/madoff-chiquit...

San Francisco Chronicle, June 6, 2011
Chiquita Helped Put More Than Bananas in Pockets of Terrorists
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/06/06/b...

Am Law Litigation Daily, June 3, 2011
Boies Schiller Crosses Hurdle in Alien Tort Case Against Chiquita, But Faces High Barrier Ahead
http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/digestTAL.jsp?id=1202496162552&slr...

Reuters, June 3, 2011
Chiquita fails to stop Colombian lawsuits in U.S.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/03/chiquita-colombia-l...

Bloomberg, June 3, 2011
Chiquita Fails to Halt Suit Over Colombia Torture, Murder
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-03/chiquita-fails-to-ha...

Associated Press, June 3, 2011
Colombian lawsuits against Chiquita to continue
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/colombian-lawsuits-again...

CityBeat Cincinnati, December 8, 2010
Enabling Terrorism, Ensuring Profit
http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-22255-enabling-ter...

Am Law Daily, April 15, 2010
Boies Gets Ready for Banana Battle
http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2010/04/bananabattle...

Fruitnet, April 15, 2010
New lawsuit taken against Chiquita
http://www.fruitnet.com/content.aspx?ttid=11&cid=6510

Jurist [University of Pittsburgh School of Law Publication], April 15, 2010
Chiquita sued in US court for aiding Colombian terrorists
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2010/04/chiquita-sued-i...

AmLaw Litigation Daily, April 14, 2010
What's the Latest Plaintiffs Firm to Join the Alien Tort Statute Litigation Against Chiquita? Let's Just Say They're Risk-Takers
http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/digestTAL.jsp?id=1202448080164&src...

Reuters, April 14, 2010
Chiquita faces new lawsuit, $1 bln damages sought
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1418648520100414?type=mar...

Bloomberg, April 14, 2010
Chiquita Faces New Claims Over Colombia Terrorism
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-14/chiquita-faces-ne...