Chiquita Fruit Company Held Liable for Funding Colombian Paramilitary Group

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Facts

• A Florida jury has ordered fruit company Chiquita Brands International to pay $38M to the families of eight Colombian men killed by the Colombian United Self-Defense Forces (AUC), which Chiquita reportedly made payments to from 1997-2004.¹
• Chiquita was ordered to pay a $25M fine in 2007 for paying the AUC, which it claimed was protection money paid for the sake of their employees. The jury in this case ruled that Chiquita did not prove the money was paid under threat of harm.²
• Lawyers for the families argued that Chiquita's financing of the AUC benefited the company by means of killing or forcing out farmers in agriculturally-fertile territory to allow the company to purchase land at a lower price for their operations.³
• The AUC, a US-designated terror group, was involved in the decades-long Colombian Civil War against left-wing militants before disbanding in 2006. Its 30K members were alleged to be involved in extortion and drug trafficking.⁴
• The jury found that Chiquita's funding of the AUC created a 'foreseeable risk of harm to others.' Chiquita says it plans to appeal the Southern District of Florida ruling and that the claims have 'no legal basis.'⁵
• According to legal observers, it's rare for US companies to be held financially liable for abuses committed in foreign countries. Chiquita is facing another suit in Colombia which alleges their connections to the AUC were criminal.³

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²Reuters, ³New York Times, ⁴BBC News and ⁵CNN.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Eurasia Review. This ruling finally validates what victims have known for too long — a US multinational propped up a right-wing militia for the sake of profit. Chiquita and its predecessor, United Fruit, left an indelible mark on Latin America and had a major role in many brutal atrocities committed in the name of US imperialism. This history is now being unveiled for the world to see, and will hopefully lead to more verdicts such as this.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Packer. Chiquita, faced with extortion by the AUC, had to pay protection money to protect their farmers and workers from the group and from left-wing guerilla attacks. Colombia was wracked by decades of conflict, and Chiquita had to deal with unsavory groups to protect their business and the employees who depended on it. There is also doubt as to which groups were behind the eight killings, making an appeal necessary.

Predictions