The claim for up to £36bn in compensation was opened by lawyers acting for more than 620,000 individuals at the high court in London. It comes nine years after the breach of a dam holding toxic waste from an iron ore mine killed 19 people near the town of Mariana in Brazil.
In his opening submission, Alain Choo Choy KC, for the claimants, suggested that the "profound shortcomings" of the reparations process in Brazil had led the case to be opened in England. He accused BHP of devoting "very substantial resources to placing obstacles in the way of the claimants' English claims".
A "chasm" had emerged between the level of compensation that BHP regarded as "acceptable" for the disaster and the amount the victims were "morally and legally" entitled to, the court heard.
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Denne historien er fra October 22, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Peace deal
What will the agreement entail?
'I felt the scapegoat' Bellingham laments media treatment on England duty
Jude Bellingham has said he felt the \"whole world crumbling down on me\" after being mistreated and made a scapegoat for England's defeat in the European Championship final.
United spent £8.6m sacking staff in drive to cut costs
Manchester United spent £8.6m on redundancies in the first quarter of its financial year due to Sir Jim Ratcliffe's drive to reduce the workforce from around 1,000 by 250, the club's latest accounts show.
Slot says contract dispute may be bringing best out of Salah
Khephren Thuram on his father Lilian's activism, what Thierry Henry always told him, and facing Aston Villa
Saka leads Arsenal's charge to blast away doubts on the road in Europe
This was some response to charges of being shot shy. Arsenal's lack of cutting edge on foreign trips had been the pre-match talking point but it turned out they had saved up a hiding for the continent's form team.
City stunned by late fightback as Guardiola's winless run goes on
Manchester City's losing sequence is over - just. But they are still a listing ship that can go down at any moment.
Kerr breaks new ground coaching men at Hearts
Shelley Kerr will lead male player development at the Edinburgh club
'He's a cool cat' Special Bethell ready to pounce on Test debut
Test debutant has impressed everyone from a young age but can he carry off batting at No 3 against New Zealand?
West Brom deny Isidor and hold out for draw
Sunderland extended their unbeaten run to 10 games but, as the smattering of gentle boos that greeted the final whistle testified, it was most certainly not a cause for celebration on Wearside.
George in the groove and ready to rock for England
Manchester United left-back was never going to let rehab end her dream and hopes for a Wembley bow against USA
