Dole Food sued over Colombian paramilitary claim

Dole Food sued over Colombian paramilitary claim
1 hour 4 mins ago

Dole Food Company is being sued by families of 57 people allegedly murdered by paramilitaries hired by the US firm to provide security at its banana plantations in Colombia, court records show. Skip related content

A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles alleges Dole hired the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) despite the fact the group has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department.

Lawyers for families of the murdered people say the AUC was responsible for driving farmers off land used to plant bananas, purging leftist guerillas from banana-growing regions and targeting union leaders at banana plantations.

Dole hit back at the allegations in the lawsuit, decrying them as "bogus and baseless" in a statement.

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http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20090506/tbs-dole-food-sued-over-colombian-parami-8cc5291.html