Chiquita’s $38.3 Million Verdict Jolts Human Rights Litigation

A landmark $38.3 million jury verdict against Chiquita—the first in an American court to hold a US corporation liable over international human rights violations—raises the specter of billions of dollars in liability for the company and a broader warning for global business titans, attorneys for the plaintiffs say.

“It shows US courts remain open to vindicating human rights,” said Agnieszka Fryszman, a partner at Cohen Milstein and one of the lawyers for the winning Colombian plaintiffs. “There is no law-free zone you can take advantage of.”

A West Palm Beach, Fla., jury on Monday found Chiquita responsible for the deaths ...