Jury rules for coal firm in union deaths
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A jury in Birmingham rejected claims that an Alabama-based coal firm was to blame for the slayings of three union leaders in Colombia, a defeat for labor in a test of whether companies can be held responsible in U.S. courtrooms for their conduct overseas in what legal experts viewed as a landmark case.
Jurors sided with Drummond Ltd. and the head of its Colombian operations, Augusto Jimenez, in ruling against the relatives and the union of the dead men, killed by paramilitary gunmen six years ago.
The lawsuit accused Drummond of arranging the killing of the labor leaders. The company denied any involvement with the slayings or with militia forces in Colombia, where it operates a huge coal mine.
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