Chiquita Brands International is on trial in a Florida federal court this week, in a case that is garnering significant attention. Plaintiffs’ lawyers are arguing that the multinational fruit company profited from payments made to a right-wing Colombian militia group responsible for the murders of hundreds of people.
According to a report from Law.com, the attorneys for ten murder victims’ families in a Colombian banana-growing region have depicted Chiquita as a corporation that prized profits over human lives.
Representing Chiquita, Blank Rome partner Michael Cioffi refuted this portrayal, arguing instead that Chiquita was a extorted victim of the same group that allegedly committed the murders. He further posited that the company was disinclined to leave its employees behind in the conflict-ridden region.
The trial hinges on dissecting the motivations behind Chiquita’s payments in Colombia; were they derived from corporate greed or forced by the necessity to protect workers?