Florida jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3M to family members

By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press

A federal jury in Florida has found that Banana giant Chiquita Brands must pay $38.3 million to 16 family members of people killed during Colombia’s long civil war by a violent right-wing paramilitary group funded by the company. The verdict Monday by a jury in West Palm Beach marks the first time the company has been found liable in any of multiple similar lawsuits pending elsewhere in U.S. courts. It also marks a rare finding that blames a private U.S. company for human rights abuses in other countries. Chiquita has called the deaths tragic but maintains that there’s no legal basis for the claims.