A Florida jury ruled Monday that Chiquita Brands International, the banana conglomerate, is liable for financing a paramilitary group in Colombia that killed eight men, and it has been ordered to pay the families $38.3 million in restitution.
The group, the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, was designated by the United States at the time of the killings as a terrorist organization.
Bunches of Chiquita brand bananas are for sale at a grocery store in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Chiquita, the multinational fruit corporation headquartered in Florida, was found to be responsible for the wrongful deaths of the eight men killed by the AUC. The men had different jobs, ranging from trade unionists to banana workers.
“We’re very happy about the jury’s verdict, but
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