Suit Filed in West Palm Against Chiquita; Banana Company Accused of Paying Colombian Terrorists

In a filing that's been anticipated for months, a group of Colombian families has sued Chiquita Brands International in West Palm federal court over reports that the banana company paid a terrorist group that then kidnapped and murdered relatives of those families.The suit, in which some 240 people are plaintiffs,...

By Thomas Francis

April 15, 2010

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In a filing that's been anticipated for months, a group of Colombian families has sued Chiquita Brands International in West Palm federal court over reports that the banana company paid a terrorist group that then kidnapped and murdered relatives of those families.

The suit, in which some 240 people are plaintiffs, will be yet another legal expense for a company that owes $25 million since a 2007 case in which it gave a guilty plea to criminal charges. Seven other lawsuits are pending.

It took a year for the plaintiffs in West Palm to get permission from a federal judge to bring their suit against Chiquita.

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