Lawfare Archive: Bananas and Corporate Accountability for Human Rights

About this episode

The episode discusses the verdict in the federal trial against Chiquita Banana regarding its financing of a paramilitary group in Colombia and its implications for corporate accountability in human rights violations.

From June 26, 2024: On June 10, the jury reached a verdict in the federal trial against Chiquita Banana. It found that the company had financed a paramilitary group in Colombia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, resulting in the deaths of eight men, and it awarded the victims' families $38 million in damages. It's the culmination of a 17-year-long multi-district litigation that had faced significant procedural, evidentiary, and legal challenges. And it may represent a new frontier in the fight to hold corporations legally accountable for human rights violations. Executive Editor Natalie Orpett discussed the case and its implications with Michael Posner, Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University’s Stern School of Business and a former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a  Lawfare  Material Supporter at  www.patreon.com/lawfare . You can also support  Lawfare  by making a one-time donation at  https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Natalie Orpett

Guest: Michael Posner

Topics covered

• corporate accountability
• human rights
• legal challenges
• litigation
• Colombia
• paramilitary groups

Keywords

• Chiquita Banana
• human rights
• corporate accountability
• litigation
• Colombia
• paramilitary
• verdict
• damages
• Michael Posner
• Natalie Orpett

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chiquita Banana, Center for Business and Human Rights, New York University, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

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