Summary

Florida jury finds Chiquita guilty of funding Colombian paramilitary AUC. AUC, a terrorist group, disbanded in 2006 after civil war. Chiquita provided $1.7 million to AUC from 1997 to 2004. Chiquita claims payments made out of fear, plans to appeal. Verdict orders Chiquita to pay $38 million to victims' families. Chiquita previously pleaded guilty in 2007, paid $25 million fine.

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A Florida jury has found Chiquita Brands International, a major banana manufacturer, guilty of financing the Colombian paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) during Colombia’s prolonged internal conflict.

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The AUC, a far-right military group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, was disbanded in 2006. The group originated during Colombia’s civil war in the 1960s, a conflict that resulted in over 220,000 deaths. Formally established in 1997, the AUC was a coalition of far-right militant groups supported by drug traffickers and business people seeking protection during the violence.

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Court documents reveal that Chiquita provided the AUC with over $1.7 million in funding from 1997 to 2004. During this period, the AUC was implicated in numerous violent acts, including thousands of deaths.

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Chiquita has stated that its Colombian subsidiaries made the payments to the AUC out of fear for the safety of their employees and the protection of company assets. The company plans to appeal the jury's decision, arguing that the claims against them lack a solid legal foundation.

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The verdict came after a six-week trial, followed by two days of jury deliberation. It represents a rare instance of a U.S. company being held accountable for human rights abuses outside the country. The trial focused on the motivations behind the payments made by Chiquita executives, rather than the fact that the payments occurred.

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Chiquita has been ordered to pay over $38 million to eight families of victims of AUC violence. The lawsuit, initially filed in 2008, argued that Chiquita’s payments enabled the AUC to continue its violent activities in Colombia, thereby holding the company responsible for the group's actions.

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This is not the first time Chiquita has faced legal challenges related to the AUC. In 2007, the company pleaded guilty to engaging in criminal transactions with a foreign terrorist organization and agreed to pay a $25 million fine. Over the years, Chiquita has faced hundreds of similar lawsuits filed by the families of AUC victims.

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Chiquita found liable for financing paramilitary groups (CNN)

Jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3 million to families (AP)

Chiquita held liable for deaths during Colombian civil war (NYT)