Judge Upholds $38M Verdict Against Chiquita for Funding Paramilitary Group

In June, 2024, a federal court jury found banana giant Chiquita Brands International liable for financing the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a brutal paramilitary death squad, and awarded 16 Plaintiffs’ whose loved ones were murdered by the AUC a total of $38 million, with each Plaintiff’s award being at or above two million dollars. On October 18, 2024, the presiding judge rejected Chiquita’s motion to reduce the jury award to approximately $50,000 for each plaintiff, and entered judgment against Chiquita.

The jury had found that Chiquita knowingly financed the AUC, a designated terrorist organization, despite the AUC’s egregious human rights abuses. 

Read more at EarthRights International.