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Case: 19-13926 Date Filed: 09/01/2020 Page: 1 of 76

Case No. 19-13926-C

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS


FOR THE ELEVENTH CIRCUIT
___________________________________________

Does 1 Through 976, et al. v.


Chiquita Brands International, et al.

___________________________________________

On Appeal from the United States District Court


For the Southern District of Florida
No. 08-md-01916
(Nos. 08-80465, 11-80404)
(The Honorable Kenneth A. Marra)

____________________________________________

RESPONSE AND REPLY BRIEF

OF

APPELLANTS DOE 378 AND DOE 840


____________________________________________

Paul Wolf, DC Bar #480285


P.O. Box 21840
Washington, D.C. 20009
Telephone (202) 431-6986
paulwolf@yahoo.com
Attorney for Plaintiff-
Appellants-Cross-Appellees
Doe 378 and Doe 840
Case: 19-13926 Date Filed: 09/01/2020 Page: 2 of 76

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS

Counsel certifies that the following is a complete list of the trial judge(s), all

attorneys, persons, associations of persons, firms, partnerships, or corporations

(noted with its stock symbol if publicly listed) that have an interest in the outcome

of the particular case on appeal, including subsidiaries, conglomerates, affiliates,

and parent corporations, and other identifiable legal entities related to a party,

known to Appellants, are as follows:

1. Doe 378, whose identity remains confidential under a Protective Order of

the District Court, and the daughter of deceased plaintiff Doe 840, whose identity

also remains confidential under the Order. In addition, the plaintiffs bring their

cases as personal representatives of the estates of the deceased. They represent

other legal heirs with interests, whose identities are known to the Appellees, but

remain confidential under the Protective Order.

2. The other plaintiffs in the complaints filed by undersigned counsel in the

Southern District of Florida, in Case Nos. 08-80465, 10-80652, 11-80404, 11-

80405 and 17-cv-80475. Undersigned counsel represents the legal heirs of

approximately 2,319 wrongful death cases. In addition, there are six other plaintiff

groups with a total of about 7500 "claims" in the MDL, all of whom have an

interest in this appeal.

3. Additional interested parties are:

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Agrícola Longaví Limitada

Agrícola Santa Marta Limitada

Agroindustria Santa Rosa de Lima, S.A.

Aguirre, Fernando

Alamo Land Company

Alsama, Ltd.

American Produce Company

Americana de Exportación S.A.

Anacar LDC

Arnold & Porter

Arvelo, José E.

Associated Santa Maria Minerals

B C Systems, Inc.

Baird, Bruce

Bandy, Kevin

Barbush Development Corp.

Bienes Del Rio, S.A.

Blank Rome LLP

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK)

Blue Fish Holdings Establishment

ii
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Bocas Fruit Co. L.L.C.

In Re: Chiquita Brands Int’l., Inc.

Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP, Fort Lauderdale

Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP, Miami

Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP, New York

Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP, Orlando

Bronson, Ardith

Brundicorpi S.A.

Cadavid Londoño, Paula

Carrillo, Arturo J.

C.C.A. Fruit Service Company Limited

CB Containers, Inc.

Centro Global de Procesamiento Chiquita, S.R.L.

Charagres, Inc., S.A.

Childs, Robert

Chiquita (Canada) Inc.

Chiquita (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

Chiquita Banana Company B.V.

Chiquita Brands International Foundation

Chiquita Brands International Sàrl

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Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB)

Chiquita Brands L.L.C.

Chiquita Central Europe, s.r.o.

Chiquita Compagnie des Bananes

Chiquita Deutschland GmbH

Chiquita Food Innovation B.V.

Chiquita for Charities

Chiquita Fresh B.V.B.A.

Chiquita Fresh España, S.A.

Chiquita Fresh North America L.L.C.

Chiquita Fruit Bar (Belgium) BVBA

Chiquita Fruit Bar (Germany) GmbH

Chiquita Fruit Bar GmbH

Chiquita Frupac B.V.

Chiquita Hellas Anonimi Eteria Tropikon Ke Allon Frouton

Chiquita Hong Kong Limited

Chiquita International Services Group N.V.

Chiquita Italia, S.p.A.

Chiquita Logistic Services El Salvador Ltda.

Chiquita Logistic Services Guatemala, Limitada

iv
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Chiquita Logistic Services Honduras, S.de RL

Chiquita Melon Packers, Inc.

Chiquita Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V.

Chiquita Nature and Community Foundation

Chiquita Nordic Oy

Chiquita Norway As

Chiquita Poland Spolka Z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia

Chiquita Portugal Venda E Comercializaçao De Fruta,


Unipessoal Lda

Chiquita Relief Fund - We Care

Chiquita Shared Services

Chiquita Singapore Pte. Ltd.

Chiquita Slovakia, S.r.o.

Chiquita Sweden AB

Chiquita Tropical Fruit Company B.V.

Chiquita UK Limited

ChiquitaStore.com L.L.C.

Chiriqui Land Company

CILPAC Establishment

Cioffi, Michael

Coast Citrus Distributors Holding Company


v
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Cohen, Millstein, Sellers & Toll, PLLC

Collingsworth, Terrence P.

Compañía Agrícola de Nipe, S.A.

Compañía Agrícola de Rio Tinto

Compañía Agrícola del Guayas

Compañía Agrícola e Industrial Ecuaplantation, S.A.

Compañía Agrícola Sancti-Spiritus, S.A.

Compañía Bananera Atlántica Limitada

Compañía Bananera Guatemateca Independinte, S.A.

Compañía Bananera La Estrella, S.A.

Compañía Bananera Los Laureles, S.A.

Compañía Bananera Monte Blanco, S.A.

Compañía Caronas, S.A.

Compañía Cubana de Navegación Costanera

Compañía Frutera América S.A.

Compañía La Cruz, S.A.

Compañía Mundimar, S.A.

Compañía Productos Agrícolas de Chiapas, S.A. de C.V.

Compañía Tropical de Seguros, S.A.

Conrad & Scherer LLP

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Costa Frut S.A.C.

Covington & Burling LLP

Danone Chiquita Fruits SAS

Dante, Frank

Davies, Patrick

De La Calle Restrepo, José Miguel

De La Calle Londoño y Posada Abogados

DeLeon, John

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

DLA Piper

Duraiswamy, Shankar

Dyer, Karen C.

Earthrights, International, Inc.

Exportadora Chiquita - Chile Ltda.

Exportadora de Frutas Frescas Ltda.

Financiera Agro-Exportaciones Limitada

Financiera Bananera Limitada

FMR LLC

Fresh Express Incorporated

Fresh Holding C.V.

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Fresh International Corp.

Friedheim, Cyrus

Frutas Elegantes, S. de R.L. de C.V.

Fundación Para El Desarrollo de Comunidades Sostenibles en el


Valle de Sula

G & V Farms, LLC

G W F Management Services Ltd.

Garland, James

Girardi, Thomas V.

Gould, Kimberly

Gravante, Jr., Nicholas A.

Great White Fleet Liner Services Ltd.

Great White Fleet Ltd.

Green, James K.

Guralnick, Ronald S.

Hall, John

Heaton Holdings Ltd.

Heli Abel Torrado y Asociados

Hemisphere XII Investors Limited

Hills, Roderick, the Estate of

Hospital La Lima, S.A. de C.V.


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Ilara Holdings, Inc.

Inversiones Huemul Limitada

James K. Green, P.A.

Jimenez Train, Magda M.

Jones, Foster, Johnston & Stubbs, P.A.

Jones, Stanton

Keiser, Charles

King, William B.

Kistinger, Robert

Lack, Walter J.

Law Firm of Jonathan C. Reiter

Law Offices of Chavez-DeLeon

Leon, The Honorable Richard J.

Markman, Ligia

Marra, The Honorable Kenneth A.

Martin, David

Martinez Resly, Jaclyn

McCawley, Sigrid S.

Mosier, Mark

Mozabanana, Lda.

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Olson, Robert

O'Melveny & Meyers

Ordman, John

Parker Waichman LLP

Philips, Layn

Prías Cadavid Abogados

Prías, Juan Carlos

Priedheim, Alissa

Procesados IQF, S.A. de C.V.

Processed Fruit Ingredients, BVBA

Promotion et Developpement de la Culture Bananiere

Puerto Armuelles Fruit Co., Ltd.

Rapp, Cristopher

Reiter, Jonathan C.

Ronald Guralnick, P.A.

Scarola, Jack

Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A.

Seguridad Colosal, S.A.

Servicios Chiquita Chile Limitada

Servicios de Logística Chiquita, S.A.

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Servicios Logísticos Chiquita, S.R.L

Servicios Proem Limitada

Silbert, Earl

Simons, Marco

Skinner, William

Sperling, Jonathan

Spiers N.V.

Sprague, Ashley M.

St. James Investments, Inc.

Stewart, Thomas

Stubbs, Sidney

Tela Railroad Company Ltd.

The Vanguard Group

TransFRESH Corporation

Tsacalis, William

UNIPO G.V., S.A.

V.F. Transportation, L.L.C.

Verdelli Farms, Inc.

Western Commercial International Ltd.

Wichmann, William J.

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Wiesner & Asociados Ltda. Abogados

Wiesner, Eduardo A.

Wilkins, Robert

Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Wolf, Paul

Wolosky, Lee S.

Zack, Stephen N

Zhejiang Chiquita-Haitong Food Company Limited

Zuleta, Alberto

Certification

I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge, the above is a complete


list of persons having an interest in this case.

/s/ Paul Wolf


________________________
Paul Wolf, D.C. Bar #480285
Attorney for Appellants
Doe 378 and 840

August 22, 2020

xii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PERSONS …………………………….. i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ……………………………………………………. xiii

TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ………………………………………………… xvii

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ……………………………………………… 1

ARGUMENT - REPLY ……………………………………………………… 4

A. Ludy Rivas Borja is a proper party. …………………………………... 4

1. The District Court didn't abuse its discretion by not setting


any time limit to re-file the motion with certified translations…. 4

2. Equitable tolling applies, because Ludy Rivas diligently


prosecuted her claim. .……………………………………...…… 4

3. The filing of a defective motion isn't jurisdictional, and was


therefore within the District Court's discretion to determine
how long Ludy Rivas had to respond. …………………………. 5

4. Ludy Rivas need not rely on Federal Rule of Appellate


Procedure 43(a)(2) because she timely filed a Notice of
Appeal after the District Court ruled on her case on the merits. 6

B. The Appellees have failed to address the issues on appeal


identified by Appellants, thereby conceding them. …………….……. 6

1. The analysis in the Appellants' Opening Brief isn't


"extraneous," but law the Court should use to determine
whether the Plaintiffs have made prima facie showings that
create a reasonable or plausible inference that the AUC was
responsible. ................................................................................ 8

2. The Jones, Macuba, Ray and Smith cases relied on by


xiii
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Chiquita all show that the Plaintiffs have met their burden
to show evidence which is capable of being reduced to
admissible form at trial. ….…………………………………….. 8

a. The Plaintiffs had no burden to obtain Apostilles ………. 13

3. The District Court abused its discretion by not considering


death certificates and administrative agency findings. .……....... 14

a. Due Process requires that Doe 378 and 840's


evidence, which is different from that of the Florida
Appellants, be considered. ………………………………. 15

4. The business records exception generally applies to


Colombian government records, which were made in
the course of their ordinary activities. At this stage, the
Appellants need only show that the documents are capable
of being introduced at trial by a qualified witness. …………...... 17

5. The public records exception applies to the factual findings


of Accion Social, which resulted from legally authorized
investigations. …………..……………………………………… 18

6. The public records exception applies to "Prosecutor Letters"


and public documents of the Colombian Commission of
Justice and Peace. ………………………………………………. 20

7. Although Doe 840 obtained several documents too late to


use as summary judgment exhibits, they may be considered
under Rule 60(b)(2), as newly discovered evidence. …………... 23

C. The District Court abused its discretion by excluding FBI Agent


Manuel Ortega's expert opinion. The standard of review isn't
"manifest error." ………………………………………………………. 24

1. Ortega's method was to apply the probable cause standard. …… 26

2. Ortega properly relied on circumstantial evidence, as would


any investigator. ………………………………………………... 28

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3. Ortega properly relied on hearsay in forming his opinions. ….… 30

D. A reasonable jury could find that the AUC committed the murders. …. 31

1. The 11th and D.C. Circuits assign the same weight to direct
and circumstantial evidence. …………………………………… 31

ARGUMENT - RESPONSE TO CROSS-APPEAL ………………………… 35

A. The cross-appeal should be dismissed because it isn't part of the


Appellee's "consolidated principal and response brief and raising
any issues on cross-appeal related to the Wolf Appellants' appeal"
as ordered by this Court. ………………………………………………. 35

B. The Appellees have waived any issues related to forum non


conveniens by not arguing them in the cross-appeal. …………………. 35

C. The Plaintiffs have made a prima facie showing that the AUC
and the 17th Brigade of the Colombian Army in Uraba were in
a "symbiotic relationship," which doesn't require a particular
showing of state involvement in each murder that resulted from
the relationship. …………………………………………………….…. 36

1. The language in the TVPA requiring the underlying killing


to be "deliberated" doesn't mean deliberated by the Individual
Defendants, who may be held liable for aiding and abetting. .… 37

2. The Individual Defendants may also be held liable


under principles of agency law, and jurisprudence under
42 U.S.C. § 1983 ………………………………………………. 38

3. The District Court correctly held that the Plaintiffs need


not allege facts showing “specific government involvement
with each individual act of torture and killing of Plaintiffs’
relatives.” …………………………………………………….… 39

a. The Aldana, Romero, Sinaltrainal, and Mamani cases


relied on by the Cross-Appellants were ones in which
the relationship between the incident and the overall
conflict couldn't be shown. ..………………………….… 39
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4. State action may be imputed to the Bloque Bananero of the


AUC from the 17th Brigade of the Colombian army. ……….… 44

5. Doe 378 and Doe 840 have made plausible, prima facie
showings that the murders were war crimes occurring in the
course of hostilities. ………………………………………….... 47

D. The civil standard for the TVPA is that the individuals responsible
for the murders were "more likely than not" members of the AUC. … 49

CONCLUSION ………………………………………………………….….. 49

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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES

Cases Page(s)

Adickes v. S.H. Kress Co.,


398 U.S. 144 (1970) …………………………………………………… 46

Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A.,


416 F.3d 1242 (11th Cir. 2005) ……………………………….. 40-41, 42

Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc.,


477 U.S. 242 (1986) …………………………………………...….… 6, 33

Arbaugh v. Y&H Corp.,


546 U.S. 500 (2006) ………………………………………………… 5-6

Ashcroft v. Iqbal,
556 U.S. 662 (2009) …………………………………………………. 44

Avila-Santoyo v. U.S. Att'y Gen.,


713 F.3d 1357 (11th Cir. 2013) (en banc) …………………………… 5

Booker v. City of Atlanta,


776 F.2d 272 (11th Cir. 1986) ……………………………………….. 41

Brentwood Academy v. Tenn. Secondary Sch. Athletic Ass'n.,


531 U.S. 288 (2001) ………………………………………………….. 45

Browning v. AT & T Paradyne,


120 F.3d 222 (11th Cir. 1997) ………………………………………… 4

Brungart v. BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc.,


231 F.3d 791 (11th Cir. 2000) ……………………..………………… 32

Burton v. Wilmington Parking Auth.,


365 U.S. 715 (1961) ……………………………………………….… 46

Cabello v. Fernandez-Larios,
402 F.3d 1148 (11th Cir. 2005) ………………………………….. 37-38

xvii
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Catrett v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp.,


826 F.2d 33 (D.C. Cir. 1987) cert. denied 108 S.Ct. 1028 (1988) ….... 7

Celotex Corp. v. Catrett,


477 U.S. 317 (1986) ………………………………..……. 6-7, 9-11, 32

Chapman v. American Cyanamid Co.,


861 F.2d 1515 (11th Cir. 1988) ……………………………………... 7

Chowdhury v. WorldTel Bangladesh Holding, Ltd.,


746 F.3d 42 (2d Cir. 2014) …………………………………………. 38

Cimino v. Raymark Indus.,


151 F.3d 297 (5th Cir. 1998) ……………………………………….. 15

Cox v. Administrator U.S. Steel & Carnegie,


17 F.3d 1386 (11th Cir. 1994),
modified on reh’g, 30 F.3d 1347 (11th Cir. 1994) …….…...…….….. 33

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,


509 U.S. 579 (1993) ……………………………………...………. 25, 27

Dennis v. Sparks,
449 U.S. 24 (1980) …………………………………….….……….… 45

Doe v. Drummond,
782 F.3d 576 (11th Cir. 2005) ………………………….….... 37, 38, 44

Doe v. Drummond,
Memorandum Opinion of November 9, 2009,
Case No. 09-cv-1041-RDP (NDAL) ……………………..…..……... 48

Estate of Manook v. Research Triangle Institute,


693 F.Supp.2d 4 (D.D.C. 2010) …………………………..…........…. 40

Estate of Manook v. Research Triangle Institute,


759 F.Supp.2d 674 (E.D.N.C. 2010) …………………………......…. 40

First National Bank of Arizona v. Cities Service Co.,


391 U. S. 253 (1968) ……………………..……………….……….... 31
xviii
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Halberstam v. Welch,
705 F.2d 472 (D.C. Cir.1983) …………………………………..….... 38

Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp.,


150 F.3d 1011 (9th Cir. 1998) …………………………………...….. 15

Henderson v. Shinseki,
131 S.Ct. 1197 (2011) ………………………………………..……… 5

Hendrix v. Evenflo Co.,


609 F.3d 1183 (11th Cir. 2010) ……………………………..…….... 8

Holland v. United States,


348 U.S. 121 (1954) ……………………………………….…..….… 29

In re Factor VIII or IX Concentrate Blood Prods. Litig.,


169 F.R.D. 632 (N.D. Ill. 1996)) …………………………..……...…. 16

Jackson v. Metropolitan Edison Co.,


419 U.S. 345 (1974) ……………………………………..…….…. 45-46

Jones v. UPS Ground Freight,


683 F.3d 1283 (11th Cir 2002) …………………………..……….. 8-10

Justice v. United States,


6 F.3d 1474 (11th Cir. 1993) ……………….………………….…..… 4

Kadic v. Karadzic,
70 F.3d 232 (2nd Cir. 1995) ……………………………………….. 45

Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael,


526 U.S. 137 (1999) ……………………………………..…….. 25, 28

Leon v. Millon Air, Inc.,


251 F.3d 1305 (11th Cir. 2001) …………………………………… 36

Lexecon v. Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach,


523 U.S. 26 (1998) …………………….………………………. 12, 18

xix
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Lohse v. Coffey,
32 A.2d 258 (D.C. 1943) ……………………………………..……. 34

Lucas v. Duncan,
574 F.3d 772 (D.C. Cir. 2009) …………………………….…….…. 33

Macuba v. DeBoer,
193 F.3d 1316 (11th Cir. 1999) ………………………………… 11-12

Maiz v. Virani,
253 F.3d 641 (11th Cir. 2001) …………………………………….… 31

Mamani v. Berzain,
654 F.3d 1148 (11th Cir. 2017) ………………………….……… 43-44

Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc.,


446 U.S. 238 (1980) ……………………………………….……….. 15

Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp.,


475 U.S. 574 (1986) ……………………………………..…. 2, 6-7, 32

McCaskill v. Ray,
279 F.Appx 913 (11th Cir 2008) ……………………..………..…... 12

McMillian v. Johnson,
88 F.3d 1573 (11th Cir.1996) ……………………………………… 10

Meyer v. Holley,
537 U.S. 280 (2003) ……………………………………………….. 37

Moose Lodge No. 107 v. Irvis,


407 U.S. 163 (1972) ……………………………………………….. 46

Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno,


454 U.S. 235 (1981) …………………………………………….…. 36

Pritchard v. S. Co. Servs.,


92 F.3d 1130 (11th Cir.1996) ……….………...…………………... 10

Pussinen v. Target Corp.,


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731 F.App'x 936 (11th Cir. 2018) ………………………………..…. 32

Rayburn ex rel. Rayburn v. Hogue,


241 F.3d 1341 (11th Cir. 2001) …………………………………….. 40

Republic of Panama v. BCCI Holdings (Luxembourg) S.A.,


119 F.3d 935 (11th Cir. 1997) ………………………………….….. 33

Rogers v. Missouri Pac. R. Co.,


352 U.S. 500 (1957) ……………………………………………….. 29

Romero v. Drummond Co., Inc.,


552 F.3d 1303 (11th Cir. 2008) ……………………………… 37, 39-42

Roxbury-Smellie v. Florida Dept Corrections,


324 F. App'x 783 (11th Cir. 2009) ………………………………….. 19

Sinaltrainal v. Coca Cola Co.,


578 F.3d 1252 (11 Cir. 2009) ………………………………….. 39, 42

Smith v. LePage,
834 F.3d 1285 (11th Cir. 2016) …………………………………….. 11

Thomas v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield Ass’n,


594 F.3d 814 (11th Cir. 2010) ……………………………………… 24

United States v. Ala. Power Co.,


730 F.3d 1278 (11th Cir. 2013) ……………………………………. 24

United States v. Ard,


731 F.2d 718 (11th Cir.1984) ………………………………………. 32

United States v. Bell,


678 F.2d 547 (5th Cir. 1982) (en banc),
aff’d on other grounds, 462 U.S. 356 (1983) ………………………. 28

United States v. Brown,


9 F.3d 907 (11th Cir. 1993) ………………………………….…….. 21

United States v. Brown,


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299 F.3d 1252 (11th Cir. 2002) ………………………………….. 30-31

United States v. Diebold, Inc.,


369 U.S. 654 (1962) …………………………………………….…… 31

United States v. Frazier,


387 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. 2004) (en banc) …………………… 24-25, 28

United States v. Gomez-Castro,


605 F.3d 1245 (11th Cir. 2010) …………………………………. 28-29

United States v. Holmes,


595 F.3d 1255 (11th Cir. 2010) …………………………………… 29

United States v. LeQuire,


943 F.2d 1554 (11th Cir. 1991) ……………………………….…… 32

United States v. Masferrer,


367 F.Supp.2d 1365 (S.D Fla. 2005) ……………………………… 27

United States v. Rivamonte,


666 F.2d 515 (11th Cir. 1982) …………………………………….. 29

United States v. Russo,


302 F.3d 37 (2nd Cir. 2002) ……………………………………….. 38

United States v. Quezada,


754 F.2d 1190 (5th Cir. 1985) …………………………………….. 21

United States v. Santos,


553 U.S. 507 (2008) ………………………………………………. 29

United States v. Sawyer,


799 F.2d 1494 (11th Cir. 1986) …………………………………….. 28

United States v. Sellers,


871 F.2d 1019 (11th Cir. 1989) ………………………………….… 28

United States v. White,


492 F.3d 380 (6th Cir. 2007) ……………………………………..… 26
xxii
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United States v. Williams,


447 F.2d 1285 (5th Cir. 1971) ……………………………………… 30

United Techs. Corp. v. Mazer,


556 F.3d 1260 (11th Cir. 2009) …………………………………….. 10

Willard v. Fairfield S. Co.,


472 F.3d 817 (11th Cir. 2006) …………..………………………..… 23

Statutes

28 U.S.C. § 1350 note, Pub. L. 102–256, 106 Stat. 73 (Mar. 12, 1992). 36, 49

42 U.S.C. § 1983 ……………………………………………………….. 38, 45

Rules of Procedure and Evidence

Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(i) ……………………………. 20, 35

FRAP 43(a)(2) …………………………………………………………….. 6

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 13 ……………………………………….. 16

Fed. R. Civ. P. 14 …………………………………………………………. 16

Fed. R. Civ. P. 15 …………………………………………………………. 16

Fed. R. Civ. P. 16(c)(4) …………………………………………………… 16

Fed. R. Civ. P. 56 ………………………………………………………… 8-9

Fed. R. Civ. P. 59(b) …………………………………………………… 22

Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(2) ……………………………………………….. 21-23

Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) …………………..…………………….. 27

FRE 701 ………………………………………………………………...... 25

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FRE 702 ………………………………………………………..………....... 25

FRE 703 …………………………………………………………..… 25, 26, 30

FRE 704 ………………………………………………………………....... 25

FRE 705 …………………………………………………………………... 25

FRE 803(6) ………………………………………………………….. 10-11, 21

FRE 803(8) ……………………………………….………………….…… 21

Other

11th Circuit Civil Pattern Jury Instruction 3.3 (2018) …………………...... 33

K. O’Malley, J. Grenig & W. Lee, Federal Jury Practice and


Instructions, Criminal (5th ed. 2000) ………………………………….. 29-30

U.S. Const. amend. V (Due Process Clause) ……………………… 2-3, 15-17

U.S. Const. amend. VI (Confrontation Clause) ………………………… 30-31

S. Rep. No. 249, 102d Cong., 1st Sess. (1991) ………………….……….... 45

Foreign Affairs Manual, U.S. State Dept. ………………………………… 13

Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or


Commercial Matters ("Hague Evidence Convention") ……………….. 10, 22

Constitution of Colombia, Article 29 ……………………………………... 18

Procedural Administrative Code of Colombia, Article 44 …….………….. 18

Colombian Decree 1290 of 2008 …………………………………………. 18

xxiv
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SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

Chiquita avoids the legal issues on appeal, which are: (1) whether the

District Court erred by finding the summary judgment record insufficient to

support a jury verdict where causation is shown through circumstantial evidence

alone; (2) whether the court erred by requiring the Appellants to prove the precise

identities of the killers, when all they had to show was that the persons who caused

the injuries were "more likely than not" supported by Chiquita, or that Chiquita's

support was a "substantial factor" in causing the injuries; and (3) whether the court

erred by finding the methodology of FBI special agent Manuel Ortega unreliable

where the testimony was based on personal knowledge and experience with the

same group that committed the murders. See Appellants' Opening Brief at 3.

Chiquita's arguments are mostly about the admissibility of the evidence used

to oppose their motion for summary judgment. This was the approach of the

District Court, but is incorrect. To survive a motion for summary judgment, a

plaintiff need only make a prima facie showing of evidence that is capable of being

reduced to admissible form at trial. See § B (2) infra. The Court has rejected

evidence on this basis only where the witness has no personal knowledge, or where

the witness has given contradictory testimony in the past. Colombian government

documents can be admitted by retired Colombian government employees in most

cases, or by another forensic doctor in the case of autopsy reports. Some

1
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documents, including birth and death certificates, are eligible for Apostilles. The

Wolf Appellants, in particular, have made a sufficient showing, since their cases

were never set for trial in the Southern District of Florida, and have moved the

court for remand.

On the basis of what's been argued, the Court can simply adopt the

Appellants' constructions of the rules of law, and remand the case for

reconsideration of the Plaintiffs' evidence using these standards. The Plaintiffs

only needed to make a prima facie showing of evidence upon which a reasonable

jury1 could find that a member of the AUC more likely than not committed the

murder. The standard to be proven at trial is the same as what a police officer

would need to apply for a warrant: probable cause. At the summary judgment

stage, the evidence need only support an inference of probable cause that is

reasonable or plausible. This is no more "speculative" than an order to arrest

someone based on probable cause.

The District Court abused its discretion by not considering the most

probative evidence proffered by Does 378 and 840: death certificates showing

death by gunshot wounds at times and places under AUC control, and recognition

as victims of human rights violations by the Colombian agency Accion Social. The

1
The jury's reasoning need only be rational. "Where the record taken as a whole
could not lead a rational trier of fact to find for the nonmoving party, there is no
'genuine issue for trial.'" Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587.
2
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District Court's analysis is mostly based on evidence submitted by the Florida

Appellants, and the Wolf Appellants have had no opportunity to be heard. It's a

Due Process violation to not allow them to present their evidence. Undersigned

counsel represents a numerical majority of the plaintiffs in the MDL, whose cases

are being judged based on a "lowest common denominator" standard, set by a

minority of cases relying primarily on paramilitary testimony.

The Cross-Appellants' argument that government involvement must be

shown in each specific murder to show state action is a mis-reading of the cases

they cite. The murder must have some relationship to the conflict. For example,

the murder of a union leader may have occurred because of his perceived

association with the guerrillas, or for any number of other reasons related to the

union or his personal life.

Finally, by not including undersigned counsel's cases in their Cross-Appeal,

the Individual Defendants have waived the legal issues of the use of fictitious

names, personal jurisdiction and service of process, to explain why they're not

being sued. The waiver becomes the law of the case, and binding on the District

Court. Chiquita and the Individual Defendants have also waived forum non

conveniens issues, which they'd raised in the Civil Appeal Statement in the Cross-

Appeal, but have neglected to argue.

3
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ARGUMENT - REPLY

A. Ludy Rivas Borja is a proper party.

1. The District Court didn't abuse its discretion by not setting any
time limit to re-file the motion with certified translations.

The Appellees concede that Ms. Rivas notified Chiquita the next day after

her mother, Doe 840's death, and timely filed a Motion to Substitute Party pursuant

to FRCP 25. Appellees' Brief at 13. The District Court ordered her to refile the

Motion with a certified copy of the death certificate, but set no time limit for doing

so. DE 2179. The District Court then ruled on the case on the merits, denying the

Motion to Substitute as moot.

2. Equitable tolling applies, because Ludy Rivas diligently


prosecuted her claim.

Equitable tolling applies when the plaintiff files a technically defective

pleading but otherwise timely and diligently prosecutes his claim. Justice v.

United States, 6 F.3d 1474, 1479 (11th Cir. 1993); Browning v. AT & T Paradyne,

120 F.3d 222, 227 (11th Cir. 1997). It's arguable whether undersigned counsel

filed a "defective pleading," since this is the only time the District Court rejected

any translated document on this basis. Chiquita didn't use a certified translator, for

example, to translate the Expert Report of Dr. Ballesteros, DE 2283-1, which was

translated by Juan Casmilo Zuluaga, an attorney working for Chiquita who has no

credentials as a translator. Id. at 49. However, even if Motion was defective


4
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because of the translation, the time to refile it would be governed by the Court's

Order, which had no time limit, as well as by principles of equitable tolling.

Chiquita wasn't prejudiced by it, and raised this issue at the last minute for reasons

known only to Chiquita.

3. The filing of a defective motion isn't jurisdictional, and was


therefore within the District Court's discretion to determine how
long Ludy Rivas had to respond.

In Avila-Santoyo v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 713 F.3d 1357, 1363 (11th Cir. 2013)

(en banc), statutory language required a motion to reopen be filed within 90 days

was held subject to equitable tolling. The Court noted that the Supreme Court has

“urged that a rule should not be referred to as jurisdictional unless it governs a

court's adjudicatory capacity, that is, its subject-matter or personal jurisdiction.”

713 F.3d at 1362, citing Henderson v. Shinseki, 131 S.Ct. 1197, 1202–03 (2011).

Following a line of Supreme Court cases, Avila-Santoyo also held that statutes of

limitations can ordinarily be read to contain an implied equitable tolling exception.

Id. at 1364.

In contrast to jurisdictional rules, “claim-processing rules,” which “seek to

promote the orderly progress of litigation by requiring that the parties take certain

procedural steps at certain specified times,” generally should not be deemed

jurisdictional. Id., citing Henderson, 131 S.Ct. at 1203 (“[R]ules, even if important

and mandatory, we have said, should not be given the jurisdictional brand.”);

5
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Arbaugh v. Y&H Corp., 546 U.S. 500, 510 (2006) (“[W]e have clarified that time

prescriptions, however emphatic, are not properly typed jurisdictional.” (internal

quotation marks omitted)).

4. Ludy Rivas need not rely on Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure


43(a)(2)2 because she timely filed a Notice of Appeal after the
District Court ruled on her case on the merits.

The District Court did not agree with Chiquita that Ludy Rivas wasn't a

proper party, and ruled on her case on the merits. According to Chiquita, she was

required to file another Motion to Substitute, after her case had been dismissed.

Chiquita has, at most, identified a procedural issue that wasn't identified in

Chiquita's Statement of Issues on Appeal.

B. The Appellees have failed to address the issues on appeal identified by


Appellants, thereby conceding them.

In their Opening Brief, the Appellants outlined the Supreme Court cases

defining the standards for summary judgment, including Celotex Corp. v. Catrett,

477 U.S. 317 (1986), Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S.

574 (1986), and Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242 (1986). Each of

these cases involved proving an element of a civil claim by circumstantial evidence

alone. Celotex was about causation, Matsushita about proving the agreement in a

conspiracy, and Anderson was about proving a mental state, actual malice. The so-

2
Chiquita mistakenly referred to this as FRAP 45(a)(2), but is referring to FRAP
43. FRAP 45 is about the duties of the Clerk of the Court, rather than substitution
of parties.
6
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called "Celotex trilogy," all decided in the same year,3 established the standard that

an inference supported by circumstantial evidence alone need only be plausible. If

direct evidence had been available in any of those cases, they wouldn't be the ones

that define the standards for summary judgment. Since the Appellees haven't

provided any alternative analysis,4 the Court should adopt the Appellants'

constructions of the law.

3
As these cases discuss, the standard was applied before it was clearly articulated.
See First National Bank of Arizona v. Cities Service Co., 391 U. S. 253 (1968)
(inference unreasonable where defendant had no objective motive to join in a
boycott).
4
In their Response Brief to the Florida Appellants, Chiquita cites Chapman v.
American Cyanamid Co., 861 F.2d 1515 (11th Cir. 1988), a case somewhat
analogous to Celotex, which they say "turned on circumstantial evidence" that no
other manufacturer's product could have caused the injury. Id. at 22. Celotex was
similar, but the test wasn't whether no other manufactuer's asbestos could have
caused the injury. The plaintiff's evidence consisted of the his deposition testimony
stating his belief in how he'd been exposed to asbestos, a letter from his employer
to an insurance company referring to a Celotex product, and a letter from the
insurance company to the plaintiff restating the contents of the employer's letter.
Catrett v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 826 F.2d 33, 35 (D.C. Cir. 1987) cert.
denied 108 S.Ct. 1028 (1988). On remand, Celotex filed a new motion for
summary judgment, attaching purchase orders showing the employer had
purchased asbestos from one of their competitors. Id. at 35-36. The D.C. Circuit
held that the insurance company letter should have been admitted a business
record. Id. at 37. It also held that to defeat summary judgment, a nonmovant “is
not required to produce evidence in a form that would be admissible at trial,” so
long as her evidence is “capable of being converted into admissible evidence.”
826 F.2d at 38. The Plaintiffs have shown that the AUC was in control of the
urban areas of Urabá, Colombia when the murders of Does 378 and 840 occurred,
controlling traffic in and out of the region, establishing curfews, and disappearing
or killing thousands of people. The FARC had controlled the Uraba region
between the mid 1980s through the mid-1990s, when the AUC drove them out. No
party has argued the "market share theory" discussed by the Ditrict Court. Order at
7
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1. The analysis in the Appellants' Opening Brief isn't "extraneous,"


but law the Court should use to determine whether the Plaintiffs
have made prima facie showings that create a reasonable or
plausible inference that the AUC was responsible.

The issues identified by Chiquita are really different issues that should have

been cross-appealed. According to Chiquita, the issues on appeal are (1) whether

the disctrict court abused its discretion by excluding evidence as hearsay, (2)

whether the district court committed manifest error by excluding the plaintiffs'

expert, and (3) whether granting summary judgment based on the remaining

evidence was proper. Appellees' Brief at 16. Chiquita has also added a new issue,

challenging Ludy Rivas's standing to appeal. Chiquita's arguments will be

addressed using the same numbering scheme used by Chiquita in their Brief.

2. The Jones, Macuba, Ray and Smith cases relied on by Chiquita all
show that the Plaintiffs have met their burden to show evidence
which is capable of being reduced to admissible form at trial.

The Appellants' burden at this stage is only to show evidence that is capable

of being reduced to admissible form at trial. Jones v. UPS Ground Freight, 683

F.3d 1283, 1293 (11th Cir 2002). "We do not mean that the nonmoving party must

produce evidence in a form that would be admissible at trial in order to avoid

summary judgment. Obviously, Rule 56 does not require the nonmoving party to

65-66, Appx. at 56-57. The line cases following Hendrix v. Evenflo Co., 609 F.3d
1183 (11th Cir. 2010) all involve medical injuries alleged to have arisen from the
use of defective products, are based on tests used in the pharmaceutical industry,
and have never been applied in other contexts.
8
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depose her own witnesses. Rule 56(e) permits a proper summary judgment motion

to be opposed by any of the kinds of evidentiary materials listed in Rule 56(c),

except the mere pleadings themselves, and it is from this list that one would

normally expect the nonmoving party to make the showing to which we have

referred." Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 324 (1986).5

Chiquita also cites Jones. See Appellees' Brief at 18. In Jones, an

employee had signed an affidavit stating that other workers "made racial remarks

to him all the time." 683 F.3d at 1293. The Court considered whether the

statement "could be reduced to admissible evidence at trial or reduced to

admissible form," which could normally be accomplished by having the witness

testify at trial. Id. at 1294. "If, however, the declarant has given sworn testimony

during the course of discovery that contradicts the hearsay statement, we may not

consider the hearsay statement at the summary judgment phase." Id. "When asked

at his deposition whether 'anyone else,' other than Terrell, 'made racial comments

to [him],' Mr. Jones answered, 'No.' Accordingly, we cannot assume that Mr. Jones

will change his testimony at trial and testify in conformity with the hearsay

statement." Id. The possibility that unknown witnesses will emerge to provide

testimony on this point is insufficient to establish that the hearsay statement could

5
See FRCP 56(C)(2). "A party may object that the material cited to support or
dispute a fact cannot be presented in a form that would be admissible in evidence."
(emphasis added)
9
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be reduced to admissible evidence at trial." Id., quoting McMillian v. Johnson, 88

F.3d 1573, 1584 (11th Cir.1996); Pritchard v. S. Co. Servs., 92 F.3d 1130, 1135

(11th Cir.1996)

In the instant case, the Appellants have identified Carlos Eusse,6 a retired

employee of the Colombian aid agency Accion Social, who is sufficiently

knowledgeable about the workings of that agency to introduce and explain the

correspondence received by Doe 378 and Doe 840, recognizing them as victims of

human rights violations and paying them thousands of dollars.7 As argued in

Appellants Opening Brief, these documents may be authenticated by "another

6
The Appellees incorrectly claim that Mr. Eusse was never disclosed anywhere in
the record. Appellees' Brief at 24. Eusse is mentioned on p. 23 n. 16 of the Order
on Appeal. See Appx. at 29. In addition, undersigned counsel moved the District
Court to take his deposition pursuant to a Hague Evidence Convention request.
See DE 2095 at 5. Nevertheless, "[o]bviously, Rule 56 does not require the
nonmoving party to depose her own witnesses." Celotex, 477 U.S. at 324.
7
Chiquita cites United Techs. Corp. v. Mazer, 556 F.3d 1260, 1278 (11th Cir.
2009) for the rule that a public record must contain factual findings based on the
observations of the preparer of the report, as opposed to a collection of witness
statements. Appellee's Brief at 34. The Resolutionary Response letter of Accion
Social did make factual findings - that Doe 378 is a victim of a violation of her
human rights - but did not collect any witness statements. Appx. at 143-145. It
considered the circumstances in the context of the "expansion of the paramilitary
project," citing journalistic and academic sources for the temporal and geographic
scope of the paramilitary project. Id. Doe 378 submitted another letter and form
from Accion Social which do not contain witness statements. Appx. at 147-148.
Doe 840 submitted a letter from Accion Social dated February 26, 2008 stating that
she and her family have been included in the Sole Registry of Displaced Persons
since May 10, 2000, Appx. at 152, and another letter from Accion Social reflecting
an award of 11,180,250 Colombian Pesos (COP), dated December 17, 2009, Appx.
at 153. Doe 840 doesn't have a Resolutionary Response letter with the details of
her case, but the payment of benefits shows that she was recognized as a victim.
10
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qualified witness." F.R.E. 803(6). Doe 3788 and Doe 840 can each testify that

they were paid thousands of dollars by Accion Social. Another forensic pathologist

could introduce the autopsy report. "Prosecutor Letters" and correspondence from

the Colombian Commission of Justice and Peace are admissible as public records.

The Court may consider whether, for reasons of comity, it should recognize the

judgments of Colombian Commission of Justice and Peace, which is a competent

court of law, and the one that put hundreds of AUC members in prison.

Chiquita cites four other cases, all which support this view. In Macuba v.

DeBoer, 193 F.3d 1316, 1323 (11th Cir. 1999), the Court explained that the

language "reduced to admissible evidence at trial" or "reduced to admissible form"

originates in the Supreme Court's decision in Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S.

317 (1986), and is an integral part of the summary judgment standard itself. 193

F.3d at 1323. The Court reads Celotex as "allowing otherwise admissible evidence

to be submitted in inadmissible form at the summary judgment stage, though at

trial it must be submitted in admissible form." Id. In Smith v. LePage, 834 F.3d

1285, 1296 (11th Cir. 2016), the Court considered and rejected a police officer's

argument that a statement should have been excluded because it contradicted a

8
The Appellees mis-identified Doe 378 on p. 3 their Brief. Her name appears on
the unredacted documents in the Appendix at 138-148. The Mandate of the Court
of Appeals in Case No. 19-11494 hasn't issued, and the Stay of the Order
Precluding the Plaintiffs from Proceeding Under Pseudonyms is still in effect.
11
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witness' deposition testimony. See id. at 1294. The Court found that the witness

wasn't asked, and didn't give contradictory testimony. Id.

In United States v. Hangar One, Inc., 563 F.2d 1155, 1157 (5th Cir. 1978)

the Court excluded the evidence because the witness didn't have relevant personal

knowledge, noting that "[i]t is clear that the requirement of an affirmative showing

applies to the competency of the affiant and not to the admissibility of the

evidence…," 563 F.2d at 1157. Finally, Chiquita cites McCaskill v. Ray, 279 F.

App'x 913 (11th Cir. 2009) to argue that unsworn statements shouldn't be

considered at the summary judgment stage. Ray was also trying to introduce

documents as business records without having either the custodian or "another

qualified witness" who could introduce them. The Ray case also repeats the black

letter rule that otherwise admissible evidence may be "submitted in inadmissible

form at the summary judgment stage, though at trial it must be submitted in

admissible form." Id. at 914. The issue at this stage isn't whether the Appellants

have presented their evidence in admissible form, or even identified individuals

who can introduce the documents. It is the nature of the evidence itself.

Finally, the District Court didn't set a trial date for either Doe 378 or Doe

840, who then invoked their right to remand under Lexecon v. Milberg Weiss

Bershad Hynes & Lerach, 523 U.S. 26 (1998). It wasn't reasonable to expect them

to have evidence in admissible form when they weren't scheduled for trial.

12
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a. The Plaintiffs had no burden to obtain Apostilles.

Chiquita argues that the District Court correctly found that Plaintiffs hadn't

met their burden under FRE 902 to show that the documents were authenticated,

either with a final certification, or by satisfying the good cause standard in the

savings clause of FRE902(3)(A). Appellees' Brief at 30-33. "Plaintiffs do not

show that they tried to secure the requisite apostilles in advance of summary

judgment …[or] that they were unable to supply the proper certification timely

because of a collapse in cooperation by Colombian or United States consulate

authorities, or some other factor beyond their control." Id. at 32, citing Appx. at

47. Although the Plaintiffs' burden is only to make a prima facie showing of

evidence capable of being reduced to admissible form at trial, the Plaintiffs did

make such a showing. Counsel submitted a declaration stating that the only

method of which he was aware for obtaining Apostilles was through the online

submission portal of the Colombian Ministry of Exterior Relations. Appx. at 241-

243. Counsel submitted various documents for Apostilles, but only requests for

death certificates were granted, while all other types were denied. Id. The Florida

Appellants argue that a U.S. Consular Officer may do this, but this contradicts the

Foreign Affairs Manual. See Appellants Opening Brief at 47. For Doe 840,

counsel submitted a death certificate, an autopsy report showing nine gunshot

wounds, and a letter and computer form from the Assistant to Prosecutor III in

13
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Medellin, stating that paramilitary Raul Hasbun confessed to the murder on June

15, 2017. Appx. at 242. Of these, only the death certificate was granted an

Apostille. Id.

There was no "mystifying" delay in obtaining Apostilles on time. The

Colombian government doesn't issue Apostilles for most of the types of documents

the Wolf Appellants want to introduce into evidence. If a document is rejected by

the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Relations, this should be good cause to trigger

the savings clause for "final certification." Either the documents are of a type that

can receive Apostilles, or they're not. The Court should find that these categories

of documents aren't eligible for Apostilles, rather than attributing it to a delay.

Chiquita has been unable to disprove this by obtaining an Apostille on any of the

documents produced to them in discovery. Counsel's declaration explaining the

results of his attempts to obtain Apostilles is the only evidence before the Court,

aside from the Florida Appellants' claim that U.S. Consular Officers can do this.9

3. The District Court abused its discretion by not considering death


certificates and administrative agency findings.

The District Court abused its discretion by not considering the evidence of

the Wolf Appellants, and only considering the evidence submitted by the Florida

9
It doesn't make sense that U.S. Consular Officers would be able to verify the
identities of the persons signing the documents, if the Colombian government
cannot. The claims made by the Florida Appellants may have led the District
Court find there was no good cause, since the Plaintiffs weren't following the
procedures they said would work. The Wolf Appellants never made this argument.
14
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Appellants. The Wolf Appellants relied primarily on Colombian government

documents. The Florida Appellants relied primarily on paramilitary witness

testimony. When the evidence Does 378 and 840 submitted was different from,

and more probative than the evidence submitted by the Florida Appellants, it

wasn't considered.

a. Due Process requires that Doe 378 and 840's evidence, which is
different from that of the Florida Appellants, be considered.

Due Process requires that Does 378 and 840 be heard by the District Court,

rather than being judged according to different kinds of evidence submitted by

other plaintiffs. The Supreme Court has identified the “two central concerns of

procedural due process” to be “the prevention of unjustified or mistaken

deprivations and the promotion of participation and dialogue by affected

individuals in the decision-making process.” Marshall v. Jerrico, Inc., 446 U.S.

238, 242 (1980). See Hanlon v. Chrysler Corp., 150 F.3d 1011, 1024–25 (9th Cir.

1998) (Due process for individual class members requires that the decision whether

or not to opt out rests with the individual and not be made by a class representative

or class counsel.); Cimino v. Raymark Indus., 151 F.3d 297, 319–22 (5th Cir.

1998) (individual jury determinations of liability, injury, and damages are required

by the Seventh Amendment in asbestos mass tort context).

The transferee court's role is limited to common issues and evidence, and

doesn't extend to case-specific evidence. Transferee courts in MDL proceedings


15
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have the authority to enter pretrial orders that “govern the conduct of the trial”

back in a transferor court. In re Factor VIII or IX Concentrate Blood Prods. Litig.,

169 F.R.D. 632, 636 (N.D. Ill. 1996)). They may limit the number of common-

issue trial witnesses, id. at 637, and enter orders that will be binding as to the

conduct of the trial pursuant to Rules (13), (14), (15), and 16(c)(4) of the Federal

Rules of Civil Procedure." Id. at 636. This includes expert witnesses and other

common-issue evidence, but doesn't include case-specific discovery or evidence.

"We were under the impression that both sides had the same view of what we are

doing: conducting the discovery that is common to all of the transferred cases and

which is necessary to prepare them for trial. This obviously includes taking

whatever depositions are necessary to acquaint the parties with the testimony of the

common-issue witnesses who are likely to appear at each trial." Id. at 634-635.

"The multidistrict proceeding is not the appropriate mechanism for the conduct of

case-specific discovery. By definition, that discovery is not of general interest to

the parties in all of the individual cases which comprise the MDL." Id. at 638.

"Adopting defendants' view … would prolong the MDL indefinitely, force the

parties to await the completion of discovery that would be of no relevance to their

particular cases and frustrate the possibility of settling individual cases between

completion of the common discovery and completion of case-specific discovery.

Id. at 638-639.

16
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It's particularly unreasonable if the Appellants have to rely on paramilitary

testimony known to have been obtained through bribes, or promises of bribes,

apparently in the millions of dollars. This evidence is of dubious value because of

the potential to open the door to a disturbing distraction from what should

otherwise be a relatively straightfoward case: a complex witness bribery

conspiracy involving at least a dozen AUC members in numerous cases. The Wolf

Appellants have stayed out of that, and rely on Colombian government documents

and retired government officials as experts, including the FBI agent assigned to the

underlying criminal case, and an employee of Accion Social in Apartadó, Urabá.

4. The business records exception generally applies to Colombian


government records, which were made in the course of their
ordinary activities. At this stage, the Appellants need only show
that the documents are capable of being introduced at trial by a
qualified witness.

The types of documents available to the plaintiffs include death certificates,

autopsy reports, correspondence with prosecutors, correspondence with and

payments from Accion Social, and with a war crimes tribunal, the Comission of

Justice and Peace, a competent court organized under the national prosecutor's

office, or Fiscalia General de la Nacion. See Opening Brief at 38-45. At this

stage, the Plaintiffs' burden is only to show that the documents are capable of being

introduced at trial by a qualified witness, but need not be presented in admissible

form. Id. at 45, see supra at § B(2). This is particularly true where the the cases of

17
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Does 378 and 840 were never set for trial, and asserted their right to remand under

Lexecon, 523 U.S. 26 (1998).

5. The public records exception applies to the factual findings of


Accion Social, which resulted from legally authorized
investigations.

Chiquita argues that Accion Social merely collected witness statements, but

does not set forth "factual findings from a legally authorized investigation."

Appellees' Opening Brief at 26. Chiquita then claims that Accion Social was

required to name the killer, id., although Accion Social is clearly applying the same

standard urged by the Appellants: more likely than not, based on the time, place,

and circumstances of the incident, which are consistent with "the expansion of the

paramilitary project." Id.

Doe 378's letter, entitled “Resolutionary Response,” states that it is a legal

notification pursuant to Article 29 of the National Constitution and Article 44 of

the Procedural Administrative Code. Appx. at 143.10 It says that Doe 378 was

summoned to appear before the Committee for Administrative Reparations, for a

"Technical Evaluation on the Accreditation of the Quality of Victimhood, Case

Settlement No. 57739." Under "General Considerations," the letter states that the

program was created by Decree 1290 of 2008, and describes various other

10
The letter was translated by Jaime Alberto Ortiz Mora ("Bert Ortiz"), who is
certified by the Colombian Ministry of Exterior Relations to translate from Spanish
into English. Id.
18
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Colombian laws that apply to the program. Appx. at 144. The third page of the

letter explains the evidence evaluated in determining whether to award benefits to

Doe 378, including a book by academic Alejandro Reyes, the website

verdadabierta.com, "journalistic documents" and "other sources studied" regarding

"the expansion of the 'paramilitary project.'" Id. Finally, the letter "recogniz[ed]

and grant[ed] the status of victim of violation of human rights under the criteria of

Decree 1290 of 2008" to the decedent in Doe 378's case. Appx. at 145. (emphasis

added) According to Chiquita, the letter does "not even purport to explain what the

'finding' is." Appellees' Opening Brief at 27, and that "Plaintiffs do not even

attempt to [explain the finding]. Nor could they." Id. at 26. The finding was that

Doe 378 was killed by the paramilitaries.

Chiquita's argument that the Accion Social letter doesn't rise to the level of

factual findings from an authorized investigation is based on Roxbury-Smellie v.

Florida Dept Corrections, 324 F.App'x. 783, 785 (11th Cir. 2009). In Roxbury-

Smellie, the "statements made by Roxbury-Smellie's co-workers […] did not fall

into the public records exception because they were not a factual finding made by

the EEOC investigator, but rather a record of the interviews conducted by the

EEOC investigator." 324 F.App'x. at 785. Here, Doe 378 seeks to introduce a

"Resolutionary Response" letter that doesn't quote any witness statements, but only

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makes the determination that the decedent in the case of Doe 378 was the victim of

a violation of human rights. Appx. at 145.

6. The public records exception applies to "Prosecutor Letters" and


public documents of the Colombian Commission of Justice and
Peace.

Doe 378 and 840 adopt by reference § III B of the Florida Appellants'

Opening Brief, pp. 42-57, which pertains to Justice and Peace Documents,

sentencias, and Prosecutor Letters. FRAP 28(i). The types of documents they rely

on are generally available to the Wolf Appellants as well. For Doe 378, these

included a letter from Medicina Legal, the national forensic agency, Appx. at 139,

a Prosecutor Letter dated Feb. 18, 2010, Appx. at 140, a Prosecutor Letter dated

March 26, 2010, Appx. at 142, and a letter from the Unidad para la Atencion y

Reparacion Integral a las Victimas, another Colombian government agency, Appx.

at 146. Doe 840, submitted a Letter from a Judge in the Commission of Justice

and Peace, dated June 21, 2007, Appx. at 155-156. Doe 840 also received several

documents from Colombian government agencies after the deadline to oppose

summary judgment, but before the court ruled, which were filed as Exhibits to a

Status Report on August 27, 2019. These included the an autopsy of the victim

showing nine bullet wounds, performed by Dr. Jairo Losada Vidarte of Medicina

Legal on May 2, 2001, Appx. at 204-210, and a Prosecutor Letter and attachment

from Estefania Restrepo Lara, Assistant to Fiscal III (Prosecutor III) dated July 22,

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2029, reflecting that AUC commander Raul Hasbun confessed to this murder on

June 15, 2017. Appx. at 211-212.

These "Prosecutor Letters" are a mix of routine and adversarial types of

evidence. In United States v. Brown, 9 F.3d 907, 911 (11th Cir. 1993), the Court

drew a distinction between law enforcement records prepared in a routine, non-

adversarial setting, and those resulting from a more subjective investigation and

evaluation of a crime. The former are public records, and the latter are business

records. "Due to the lack of any motivation on the part of the recording official to

do other than mechanically register an unambiguous factual matter ..., such records

are, like other public documents, inherently reliable." Id., quoting United States v.

Quezada, 754 F.2d 1190, 1194 (5th Cir. 1985). "We are persuaded by this

reasoning. The police custodian in the instant case had no incentive to do anything

other than mechanically record the relevant information on the property receipt.

We believe that this is the type of reliable public record envisioned by the drafters

of Rule 803(8)." Id. at 911-912. Other documents reflecting the confession of an

AUC member could be considered adversarial. Nevertheless, they are all capable

of being reduced to admissible form under either Rule 803(6) or 803(8).

7. Although Doe 840 obtained several documents too late to use as


summary judgment exhibits, they may be considered under Rule
60(b)(2), as newly discovered evidence.

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Should the Court remand the case, the documents received a few weeks late

should also be considered. The tardiness was depite Doe 840's diligent efforts to

obtain them. The Plaintiffs have persisted for 13 years in this case and worked

very hard to get to this point. Doe 840 had to obtain a passport and visa to the

United States, and travel to Florida for a deposition. When she died, her daughter

Ludy Rivas diligently attempted to substitute herself as a plaintiff and survived

Chiquita's attempts to have her dismissed as an improper party. The good cause is

that the Plaintiffs have no control over what is released to them by Colombian

government agencies, which do not provide them with reasons why information is

or isn't available. The District Court denied our requests under the Hague

Evidence Convention to obtain the records through the Colombian courts, and no

other manner is available other than going to the agency and inquiring in person.

The standard is comparable to arguing for reconsideration under Rule

60(b)(2), based on "newly discovered evidence that, with reasonable diligence,

could not have been discovered in time to move for a new trial under Rule 59(b)."

Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b)(2). However, the Plaintiffs discovered the evidence after the

briefing deadline, but before the judgment. The briefing schedule involved many

parties and their attorneys, and it would not have been reasonable to amend it. To

prevail under Rule 60(b)(2), the moving party must show (1) that the evidence was

newly discovered since the trial, (2) due diligence on the part of the movant to

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discover the new evidence, (3) that the evidence is not merely cumulative or

impeaching, (4) that the evidence is material, and (5) that the evidence is such that

a new trial would probably produce a new result. Willard v. Fairfield S. Co., 472

F.3d 817, 824 (11th Cir. 2006).

If this standard were applied, the only real issue would be whether the

evidence were such that a new trial would probably produce a new result. Id. This

could occur if the Court were to find, for example, that an autopsy report showing

nine bullet wounds received at a time and place corresponding to the AUC's

control and activities, or the confession of the killer in court, would alone be

sufficient to create a reasonable inference. The Court should use this opportunity

to advance the litigation by ruling on these categories of evidence.

There would be no prejudice to Chiquita if there are other reasons to remand

the case. Autopsy reports and entries in the National Victims Registry reflecting

the confession of the commander responsible are useful categories to guide other

cases.

Finally, Chiquita complains that the documents weren't translated by a

certified translator. The standard is that the evidence must be capable of being

reduced to admissible form at trial. The Wolf Appellants have shown that they

have a translator certified by the Colombian Ministry of Exterior Relations, Bert

Ortiz, see Appx. at 149, and the documents need not be translated or in admissible

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form at this stage. Chiquita hasn't used certified translators, and has no basis to

complaint.

C. The District Court abused its discretion by excluding FBI Agent Manuel
Ortega's expert opinion. The standard of review isn't "manifest error."

The Appellees argue that this Court should review the District Court's

finding that FBI Agent Manuel Ortega's methods were unreliable for "manifest

error." Appellees' Brief at 10, 41. However, the District Court's determination that

Ortega's methods were unreliable is reviewable for abuse of discretion, not

manifest error. “A district court abuses its discretion if it applies an incorrect legal

standard, applies the law in an unreasonable or incorrect manner, follows improper

procedures in making a determination, or makes findings of fact that are clearly

erroneous,” Thomas v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield Ass’n, 594 F.3d 814, 821 (11th

Cir. 2010) (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court not only reviews the

District Court's factual findings, but also the legal standards, and how they were

applied. Id. The Court may also determine de novo whether an expert's

methodology is sufficiently reliable. See United States v. Ala. Power Co., 730

F.3d 1278, 1280 (11th Cir. 2013) ("We reverse, however, the district court's

wholesale exclusion of the expert testimony …, vacate the judgment in favor of

Alabama Power, and remand for further proceedings. The Koppe–Sahu model, as

utilized here, is sufficiently reliable to establish a relationship between potential

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generation of electricity and expected pollutant emissions at Alabama Power's

modified plants.").

The Appellees rely on United States v. Frazier, 387 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir.

2004) (en banc), where the Court applied the abuse of discretion standard, and

found no abuse in excluding the defendant’s expert opinion on “what he expected”

to find, admitting only his testimony on the standard procedures employed, the

results of his tests, and the most common types of evidence found at rape scenes.

Id. at 1254. The Appellants also cited this case, see Opening Brief at 29, which is

about the degree of certainty the expert is allowed to express to the jury. The

Appellants cited cases showing that law enforcement experts, including forensic

experts, and experts on gangs and drug trafficking organizations, can generally

opine on whether evidence is consistent with their training and experience, and

may even testify that they believe the defendant is guilty (the "ultimate" issue),11

but cannot estimate their probability of being right. See Opening Brief at 26-28.

The District Court abused its discretion by not distinguishing Ortega from

two university professors offered by the Florida Appellants, who are are

"scientific" experts under Daubert and Kumho. Ortega is not. He was the FBI

11
Rule 703 permits experts to base their opinions on data or facts not in evidence;
Rule 704 permits expert testimony on the ultimate issue of the case; and Rule 705
authorizes experts to give testimony "in terms of opinion or inference" even
"without prior disclosure of the underlying facts or data, unless the court requires
otherwise."
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agent primarily responsible for the underlying criminal case, and is familiar with

the AUC's activities generally because of his investigations of them in other

cases.12 Ortega also relied on published statistics of the Colombian government to

show the geographic and temporal scope of the AUC's operations in the region,

and on his interviews of the bellwether plaintiffs and review of their documentary

evidence.

Chiquita objects that Ortega's report is merely signed, but not under oath.

Appellees' Brief at 38. Chiquita deposed Agent Ortega on January 9, 2019, which

was given under oath, yet obtained almost nothing to discredit him. Chiquita filed

12
Chiquita's argument that the Plaintiffs waived their argument that Ortega may
testify as a lay witness pursuant to FRE 701 has no merit. See Appellees' Brief at
50. The Wolf Appellants didn't cite either FRE 701 or FRE 702 in their
Opposition to Chiquita's Motion for Summary Judgment, which had limited space
to argue many legal issues. As argued in Appellants' Opening Brief at 24, law
enforcement officers routinely testify as both fact and expert witnesses. See
United States v. White, 492 F.3d 380, 403 (6th Cir. 2007) (commenting that the
Rules “distinguish between lay and expert testimony, not witnesses”). Ortega can
testify to some matters from personal knowledge. Before the Chiquita case, he
investigated Colombian drug trafficking organizations, including the AUC, which
is both a terrorist group and drug trafficking organization. He's familiar with the
AUC's methods, and motives for killing certain types of individuals, independent
of this case. As the FBI case agent assigned to the underlying criminal case, he's
familiar with the "common issue evidence" of Chiquita's overall liability. In
addition, Ortega traveled to Colombia and interviewed Doe 378, Doe 840, and
other bellwether plaintiffs on April 30, 2018, and reviewed the documentary
evidence they had collected. Appx. at 123. When reviewing particular cases,
Ortega was relying on facts he'd been made aware of, pursuant to FRE 703. "If
experts in the particular field would reasonably rely on those kinds of facts or data
in forming an opinion on the subject, they need not be admissible for the opinion to
be admitted." Id.
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the most helpful part of his deposition, from their point of view, as an Exhibit to

their Motion in Limine to exclude his testimony. DE 2521-12. In addition,

Chiquita is raising this issue for the first time on appeal.

1. Ortega's method was to apply the probable cause standard.

Agent Ortega did explain how he concluded that the AUC probably

committed the murders. He applied the probable cause standard to the facts and

circumstances of each murder. See Appellants Opening Brief at 35-37. He

referred to circumstances common to many AUC murders as their modus

operandi.13 This is how the term is ordinarly understood by law enforcement

officers, and used to solve crimes. Ortega knew, from years of experience

investigating the AUC in Colombia, that the AUC assassinated thousands of

people in this region, controlled the urban centers, and imposed strict measures that

made it "highly unlikely" that their adversaries, the FARC, could have operated

there. The use of long guns, motorcycles and masks, theft of identity cards and

disposition of bodies were explained based on his personal knowledge. Ortega

13
This is distinct from the hearsay exception in Rule 404 (b) for evidence of other
crimes or wrongs, which allows an exception for prior acts bearing a strong
resemblance to the charged offense that is sufficiently idiosyncratic to permit the
inference of a pattern. Id. This is also called modus operandi, and is arguable
separately as a hearsay exception, see Opening Brief of Florida Appellants at 29-
36, arguments in which we join. However, Ortega isn't required to overcome this
hearsay objection in his testimony or in his report. See § C (3) infra.
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personally interviewed Doe 378 and Doe 840 in Colombia. Hearsay accounts of

what they have heard may be relied on by an expert in forming his opinion.

Chiquita cites United States v. Masferrer, 367 F.Supp.2d 1365, 1373 (S.D.

Fla. 2005) for the proposition that “the Daubert factors are applicable in cases

where an expert eschews reliance on any rigorous methodology and instead

purports to base his opinion merely on ‘experience’ or ‘training’.” Opp. at 42-43.

This is not what Ortega did. He applied the probable cause standard to determine

who probably committed the murders. Chiquita hasn't identified any other

standard that could be applied. Under Kumho Tire or United States v. Frazier, 387

F.3d 1244, 1261 (11th Cir. 2004), the method need not be scientific, but only one

normally used by experts in the field.

2. Ortega properly relied on circumstantial evidence, as would any


investigator.

Circumstantial evidence alone may satisfy the criminal standard, which

treats direct and circumstantial evidence the same. In criminal appeals, the Court

determines whether a reasonable jury could have found the defendant guilty

beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Sellers, 871 F.2d 1019 (11th Cir.

1989) Even there, “‘[i]t is not necessary for the evidence to exclude every

reasonable hypothesis of innocence or be wholly inconsistent with every

conclusion except that of guilt, provided a reasonable trier of fact could find that

the evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.’” Id. at 1021 (quoting
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United States v. Bell, 678 F.2d 547, 549 (5th Cir. 1982) (en banc), aff’d on other

grounds, 462 U.S. 356 (1983)).

Criminal investigations require investigators to piece together evidence,

often circumstantial and from multiple sources, to prove a defendant's guilt.

United States v. Sawyer, 799 F.2d 1494, 1508 (11th Cir. 1986). In United States v.

Gomez-Castro, 605 F.3d 1245 (11th Cir. 2010), the issue was whether the

government could rely solely on circumstantial evidence about the defendant's

misuse of the victim's identity to satisfy its burden of proving beyond a reasonable

doubt that the defendant knew the identity belonged to a real person. The Court

affirmed the conviction, holding that circumstantial evidence alone could satisfy

the burden. Id. at 1249.14

Although a defendant's mens rea is normally inferred circumstantially,

circumstantial evidence may be used to prove other elements as well. "Evidence of

venue need not be direct; when circumstantial evidence as a whole reasonably

supports the inference that the crime was committed in the trial district, the

government's burden is satisfied." United States v. Rivamonte, 666 F.2d 515, 517

(11th Cir. 1982) (citations omitted). Since it is legally sufficient to satisfy the

14
This decision cited United States v. Holmes, 595 F.3d 1255 (11th Cir. 2010),
where the Court held that a reasonable jury could have found that the government
had proven, through circumstantial evidence alone, that Holmes knew a social
security card and birth certificate belonged to a real person when she used them to
apply for a driver's license. Id. at 1258.
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higher criminal standard, a fortiori, it should be legally sufficient to prove

causation by a preponderance of the evidence in negligence.

In criminal cases, the Supreme Court has said that circumstantial evidence is

“intrinsically no different from testimonial evidence,” Holland v. United States,

348 U.S. 121, 140 (1954), and that “[c]ircumstantial evidence is not only

sufficient, but may also be more certain, satisfying and persuasive than direct

evidence.” Rogers v. Missouri Pac. R. Co., 352 U.S. 500, 508 (1957) See United

States v. Santos, 553 U.S. 507, 521 (2008) (“knowledge must almost always be

proved by circumstantial evidence.”) (Scalia, J., plurality opinion); 1A K.

O’Malley, J. Grenig & W. Lee, Federal Jury Practice and Instructions, Criminal §

12.04 (5th ed. 2000) (“the law makes no distinction between the weight or value to

be given to either direct or circumstantial evidence”).

3. Ortega properly relied on hearsay in forming his opinions.

Even before the enactment of Federal Rule of Evidence 703, "[e]xpert

witness testimony [was] a widely-recognized exception to the rule against hearsay

testimony. It has long been the rule of evidence in the federal courts that an expert

witness can express an opinion as to value even though his opinion is based in part

or solely upon hearsay sources." United States v. Brown, 299 F.3d 1252, 1258

(11th Cir. 2002). "Such an exception to the general rule is based upon the

reasoning 'that the expert, because of his professional knowledge and ability, is

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competent to judge for himself the reliability of the records and statements on

which he bases his expert opinion.' Given that the witness here has been a special

agent with the DEA since 1989, the district court would have been justified in

concluding that he possessed such professional knowledge and ability." Id.,

quoting United States v. Williams, 447 F.2d 1285, 1290 (5th Cir. 1971). In Brown,

the defendant's right under the Confrontation Clause of the U.S. Constitution came

into play, but as long as the hearsay evidence was of a type regularly relied upon

by experts in the field, it fell within a “firmly rooted” exception to the general rule

of exclusion of hearsay statements, and therefore was not violative of a criminal

defendant's confrontation rights. Id.

D. A reasonable jury could find that the AUC committed the murders.

The Supreme Court has held that a choice of inferences is for the jury, and

therefore "[on] summary judgment the inferences to be drawn from the underlying

facts ... must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the

motion." United States v. Diebold, Inc., 369 U.S. 654, 655 (1962). In First Nat'l

Bank v. Cities Service Co., 391 U.S. 253 (1968), the Supreme Court suggested that

a judge may not grant summary judgment unless he concludes that no reasonable

jury could find that the inference was more plausible. Id. at 280. This includes the

weight to be given to an expert's opinion concerning the plausibility of an

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inference, which is also a jury question. Maiz v. Virani, 253 F.3d 641, 666 (11th

Cir. 2001).

Since the evidence need only be capable of being presented in admissible

form at trial, the real question is whether the Plaintiffs have made prima facie

showings through circumstantial evidence, which is all that most of them have, and

what the Celotex line of cases was about.

1. The 11th and D.C. Circuits assign the same weight to direct and
circumstantial evidence.

Chiquita argues that the circumstantial evidence proffered by the Plaintiffs

requires speculation and conjecture, such that an inference of AUC responsibility

would be nothing more than a guess or mere possibility. Appellees' Opening Brief

at 19. Chiquita relies on Pussinen v. Target Corp., 731 F.App'x 936, 938 (11th Cir.

2018) for this "more than a guess or mere possibility" standard, id., and that

dismissal is proper "where plaintiff proffered only circumstantial evidence in

opposition to summary judgment." Appellees' Brief at 19.

The Appellants have shown more than a mere possibility. Their burden at

trial will be to prove causation by a "mere probability;" that is, more likely than

not. At this stage, they're not required to show a probability in order to go to trial.

They need only show that a reasonable jury could find that the AUC probably

committed the murder.

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The Pussinen case didn't establish a rule that circumstantial evidence alone

is insufficient to oppose a motion for summary judgment. The 11th Circuit has

cases on all fours with those in the Celotex trilogy, each of which depended on

circumstantial evidence alone. As in Celotex, causation may be proven through

circumstantial evidence alone, even if the claims require a showing of "but-for"

causation. Brungart v. BellSouth Telecommunications, Inc., 231 F.3d 791, 799

(11th Cir. 2000) (employment discrimination). As in Matsushita, in civil cases,

"[t]he existence of the conspiracy agreement does not have to be proven by direct

evidence. Instead, it can be inferred from the conduct of the alleged participants or

from circumstantial evidence of the scheme.'" United States v. LeQuire, 943 F.2d

1554, 1562 (11th Cir. 1991) (quoting United States v. Ard, 731 F.2d 718, 724

(11th Cir.1984)); see Republic of Panama v. BCCI Holdings (Luxembourg) S.A.,

119 F.3d 935, 950 (11th Cir. 1997). As in Anderson,15 the mental state required

for aiding and abetting liability may be proven by circumstantial evidence alone.

“The defendant’s ‘[k]nowledge may be shown by circumstantial evidence, or by

reckless conduct.’” Cox v. Administrator U.S. Steel & Carnegie, 17 F.3d 1386,

1410 (11th Cir. 1994), modified on reh’g, 30 F.3d 1347 (11th Cir. 1994). In

15
Anderson was a libel case requiring a showing of actual malice by clear and
convincing evidence. Here, the standard is negligence by a preponderance of the
evidence.
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addition, jurors should be instructed to place the same weight on direct and

circumstantial evidence:

"Circumstantial evidence" is proof of a chain of facts and circumstances that


tend to prove or disprove a fact. There’s no legal difference in the weight
you may give to either direct or circumstantial evidence.

11th Circuit Civil Pattern Jury Instruction 3.3 (2018).

The D.C. Circuit and D.C. Court of Appeals would come to the same

conclusion. The D.C. Circuit has explained that "'[i]nferences' which are

commonly described as 'circumstantial evidence' are as capable of providing

evidentiary support as 'facts' which are commonly described as 'direct evidence.'"

Lucas v. Duncan, 574 F.3d 772, 777 (D.C. Cir. 2009) The D.C. Court of Appeals

has held that "[g]enerally speaking, direct and positive testimony to specific acts of

negligence is not required to establish it. Circumstantial evidence is sufficient,

either alone or in combination with direct evidence. Circumstantial evidence may

contradict and overcome direct and positive testimony. The limitation on its use is

that the inferences drawn must be reasonable. But there is no requirement that the

circumstances, to justify the inferences sought, negative every other positive or

possible conclusion. The law is not so exacting that it requires proof of negligence

or causation by testimony so clear that it excludes every other speculative theory."

Lohse v. Coffey, 32 A.2d 258, 261 (D.C. 1943).

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ARGUMENT - RESPONSE TO CROSS-APPEAL

A. The cross-appeal should be dismissed because it isn't part of the


Appellee's "consolidated principal and response brief and raising any
issues on cross-appeal related to the Wolf Appellants' appeal" as
ordered by this Court.

On August 21,2020, the Court denied the Wolf Appellants' Motion to Strike

the Appellees' Brief, which should have raised any issues on cross-appeal related to

the Wolf Appellants' cases. The Appellees' have waived their right to appeal, and

had already waived any issues by not filing a file a Motion to Dismiss in the

District Court. However, although the arguments have been waived, the Plaintiffs

still need to respond, to avoid collateral estoppel effects on other cases.16

B. The Appellees have waived any issues related to forum non conveniens
by not arguing them in the cross-appeal.

The two issues identified by the Cross-Appellants in their Civil Appeal

Statement of November 21, 2019 are: (1) whether the District Court erred by not

requiring Plaintiff-Appellants to plead the state-action requirement in the Torture

Victim Protection Act separately for each murder; and (2) whether the District

Court erred by not granting the Appellees' motion to dismiss for forum non

conveniens. The Appellees - including Chiquita and the Individual Defendants -

raised the forum non conveniens issue for review several other times in this case.

16
Doe 378 and 840 may respond to the issues on Cross-Appeal in the Florida
Appellants' cases. In a case involving more than one appellant or appellee, any
party may adopt by reference a part of another’s brief. FRAP 28(i).
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They failed to meet their burden to show that the District Court abused its

discretion or applied the wrong legal standard. Leon v. Millon Air, Inc., 251 F.3d

1305, 1310 (11th Cir. 2001) (defendant bears burden of pursuasion on all

elements) "[W]here the court has considered all relevant public and private

interest factors, and where its balancing of these factors is reasonable, its decision

deserves substantial deference." Piper Aircraft Co. v. Reyno, 454 U.S. 235, 257

(1981). Therefore, this Court should affirm the District Court's Order on forum

non conveniens of November 29, 2016. DE 1194.

C. The Plaintiffs have made a prima facie showing that the AUC and the
17th Brigade of the Colombian Army in Uraba were in a "symbiotic
relationship," which doesn't require a particular showing of state
involvement in each murder that resulted from the relationship.

In their Opening Brief, the Appellants showed that their burden at this stage

is to make a prima facie showing of the elements of their claims. The Opening

Brief in the Appeal was about the negligence claims. The Cross-Appeal is about

claims brought under the Torture Victim Protection Act. 28 U.S.C. § 1350 note.

This statute provides that "[a]n individual who, under actual or apparent authority,

or color of law, of any foreign nation … subjects an individual to extrajudicial

killing shall, in a civil action, be liable for damages to the individual's legal

representative, or to any person who may be a claimant in an action for wrongful

death." Id.; see Torture Victim Protection Act ("TVPA"), Pub. L. 102–256, 106

Stat. 73 (Mar. 12, 1992).


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1. The language in the TVPA requiring the underlying killing to be


"deliberated" doesn't mean deliberated by the Individual
Defendants, who may be held liable for aiding and abetting.

The TVPA and its legislative history in no way disavow reliance on

traditional theories of tort liability for secondary actors under the TVPA. Doe v.

Drummond 782 F.3d 576, 607 (11th Cir. 2015), citing Meyer v. Holley, 537 U.S.

280, 287 (2003) (“Where Congress ... has not expressed a contrary intent, the

Court has drawn the inference that it intended ordinary rules to apply.”).

“[R]esponsibility for torture, summary execution, or disappearances extends

beyond the person or persons who actually committed those acts - anyone with

higher authority who authorized, tolerated or knowingly ignored those acts is liable

for them.” S.Rep. No. 102–249, at 9.

This court's opinion in Cabello v. Fernandez-Larios, 402 F.3d 1148 (11th

Cir. 2005), forms the basis for aiding and abetting liability in this circuit. See

Romero v. Drummond Co., Inc., 552 F.3d 1303, 1315–16 (11th Cir. 2008)

(recognizing that the decision in Cabello binds all subsequent panels of this court

as to aiding and abetting liability). The court found that the legislative history

“indicates that the TVPA was intended to reach ... those ordering, abetting, or

assisting in the violation.” Id. Thus, “the law of this Circuit permits a plaintiff to

plead a theory of aiding and abetting liability under the [ATS] and the [TVPA].”

Romero, 552 F.3d at 1315. In Cabello, the defendant had served as the primary

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perpetrator's bodyguard, and was merely present when the perpetrator selected the

files of the victims, but was liable because “the statements attributed to [the

defendant] reflect[ed] his knowledge that he was assisting in wrongful activity.”

Id. at 1159.

The underlying murder must be deliberated or premeditated, but this isn't the

mens rea required of the defendant. The test for aiding and abetting is “active

participation,” which is supported if the defendant gave knowing substantial

assistance to the individuals committing the act. Cabello, 402 F.3d at 1157–59.

The standard is derived from the federal common law, not international law.

Drummond, 782 F.3d at 608, citing Halberstam v. Welch, 705 F.2d 472, 478 (D.C.

Cir.1983).

2. The Individual Defendants may also be held liable under


principles of agency law and to jurisprudence under 42 U.S.C. §
1983.

In interpreting the state action requirement, the Eleventh Circuit looks to

“the principles of agency law and to jurisprudence under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.”

Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A., 416 F.3d 1242, 1247 (11th Cir. 2005),

(internal citation omitted). Under this theory, "when two persons engage jointly in

a partnership for some criminal objective, the law deems them agents for one

another. Each is deemed to have authorized the acts and declarations of the other

undertaken to carry out their joint objective." United States v. Russo, 302 F.3d 37,

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45 (2nd Cir. 2002); Chowdhury v. WorldTel Bangladesh Holding, Ltd., 746 F.3d

42, 52, 53 n. 11 (2nd Cir. 2014) (affirming a jury verdict predicated on agency

theories of liability, including ratification).

3. The District Court correctly held that the Plaintiffs need not
allege facts showing “specific government involvement with each
individual act of torture and killing of Plaintiffs’ relatives.”

The District Court analyzed detailed allegations of state action in several

specific incidents, and held this to be a prima facie showing of a symbiotic

relationship between the Colombian government and the AUC. See Order, DE 412

of June 3, 2011 at 38. Applying the symbiotic relationship test, see Sinaltrainal v.

Coca Cola Co., 578 F.3d 1252, 1265-6 (11 Cir. 2009); Romero v. Drummond Co.,

552 F.3d 1303, 1317 (11th Cir. 2008), it held that to plead state action at the

motion to dismiss stage, Plaintiffs must allege a symbiotic relationship with respect

to the AUC’s campaign of torture and killing of civilians in the banana-growing

regions, but not specific government involvement with each individual act of

torture and killing of Plaintiffs’ relatives. DE 412 at 12-13. The court considered

it relevant that the Colombian military allegedly failed to carry out arrest warrants

for paramilitary leaders, shared intelligence and communicated with the AUC, and

provided training to the AUC. Id. at 40.

a. The Aldana, Romero, Sinaltrainal, and Mamani cases relied


on by the Cross-Appellants were ones in which the
relationship between the incident and the overall conflict
couldn't be shown.
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“To charge a private party with state action under this standard, the

governmental body and private party must be intertwined in a symbiotic

relationship ... The Supreme Court has indicated that the symbiotic relationship

must involve the specific conduct of which the plaintiff complains.” Rayburn ex

rel. Rayburn v. Hogue, 241 F.3d 1341, 1348 (11th Cir. 2001) (internal citations and

quotations omitted). The Cross-Appellants argue that the "specific conduct" means

that a showing of government involvement in each incident must be shown. Cross-

Appeal at 111-117. However, each of the cases relied on by the Cross-Appellants

were dismissed because the particular incidents weren't related to the overall

conflict.17

17
Another case cited by the Cross Appellants, Estate of Manook v. Research
Triangle Institute, 759 F.Supp.2d 674 (E.D.N.C. 2010) doesn't support their
argument that state involvement must be shown in the specific killing in the
complaint. Cross-Appeal at 111. The Alien Tort claims in Manook were dismissed
for different reasons. The court found that private security contractors in Iraq
weren't sufficiently controlled by the U.S. military, and that "private activity will
generally not be deemed `state action' unless the state has so dominated such
activity as to convert it to state action. ..." Id. at 679. (quotations omitted) "Mere
approval of or acquiescence in the initiatives of a private party is insufficient." Id.
(quotations omitted). The plaintiffs had argued that rules of engagement
promulgated by the U.S. military established this control. Before the transfer of
venue, the D.C. District Court had found the murders couldn't be categorized as
war crimes. The security contractors were protecting a company involved in the
reconstruction of Iraq, rather than the war in Iraq, so murders perpetrated by them
weren't "in the course of hostilities." Estate of Manook v. Research Triangle
Institute, 693 F.Supp.2d 4 (D.D.C. 2010). Undersigned counsel represented Jalal
Askander Antranik, the co-plaintiff in that case.
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In Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A. Inc., 416 F.3d 1242 (11th Cir.

2005) (per curiam), a complaint that a mob of vigilantes took hostages at gunpoint

sufficiently alleged state action because it alleged that a U.S. corporation "hir[ed]

and direct[ed] its employees and/or agents," including a Guatemalan mayor, "to

torture the plaintiffs and threaten them with death." 416 F.3d at 1265. The issue

was whether the mayor was merely present, or was actively involved in the torture.

The complaint had referred to the mayor and "several other armed aggressors."

Interpreting this differently than the District Court, the Court of Appeals read the

complaint in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs, which is that the mayor was

also an armed aggressor. The court didn't have to analyze the line of cases in

which a government official was merely present at an incident. For example, in

Booker v. City of Atlanta, summary judgment on state action was improper where

a police officer didn't actively assist with the repossession of a car, but a jury could

find that his "arrival with the repossessor gave the repossession a cachet of legality

and had the effect of intimidating Booker into not exercising his right to resist, thus

facilitating the repossession." Booker v. City of Atlanta, 776 F.2d 272 (11th Cir.

1986).

In Romero v. Drummond Co., 552 F.3d 1303, 1317 (11th Cir. 2008), the

Court approved a district court's inquiry into whether “the symbiotic relationship

between the paramilitaries and the Colombian military had anything to do with the

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conduct at issue here …,” referring to murders along Drummond’s rail lines. Id.

“The relationship must involve the subject of the complaint.” Id. In Romero, the

plaintiffs failed to establish state action because they offered no evidence “that the

paramilitary assassins enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with the military for the

purposes of those assassinations.” Id. at 1317-18. The Court considered a single

relationship, which might have depended on a single official, and whether it

involved multiple assassinations. Id. The Court used the plural forms of

"assassinations" and "assassins," with respect to this relationship.

In Sinaltrainal v. Coca Cola Co., 578 F.3d 1252 (11 Cir. 2009), the plaintiffs

alleged that a Colombian bottler which supplied the Coca Cola Co. hired or

directed paramilitary security forces that murdered a union leader and tortured a

witness to the murder. There was no showing of state action, because the plaintiffs

had made only conclusory allegations that the government of Colombia

“tolerate[d] the paramilitaries, allow[ed] them to operate, and often cooperate[d],

protect[ed] and/or work[ed] in concert with them.” 578 F.3d at 1266. Under the

symbiotic relationship standard, allegations of “Colombia’s mere ‘registration and

toleration of private security forces does not transform those forces’ acts into state

acts.’” Id., quoting Aldana v. Del Monte Fresh Produce, N.A., 416 F.3d 1242,

1248 (11th Cir. 2005)). Rather, Plaintiffs had to allege a relationship between the

government and the AUC that “‘involves the torture or killing alleged in the

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complaint to satisfy the requirement of state action.’” Id. (quoting Romero, 552

F.3d at 1317). In other words, there were no facts connecting the murder to the

conflict, which could have been committed for personal reasons, or reasons related

to his union work not involving the Colombian state.

In Mamani v. Berzain, citizens of Bolivia sued a former Bolivian President

and Defense Minister under the ATS and TVPA, for the military's killing of six

people protesting against the government. Mamani v. Berzain, 654 F.3d 1148

(11th Cir. 2017) The defendants were alleged to have “order[ed] Bolivian security

forces, including military sharpshooters armed with high-powered rifles and

soldiers and police wielding machine guns, to attack and kill scores of unarmed

civilians,” id. at 1154, “exercised command responsibility over, conspired with,

ratified, and/or aided and abetted subordinates in the Armed Forces ... to commit

acts of extrajudicial killing, crimes against humanity, and the other wrongful acts

alleged herein” … “met with military leaders, other ministers in the Lozada

government to plan widespread attacks involving the use of high-caliber weapons

against protesters” … “knew or reasonably should have known of the pattern and

practice of widespread, systematic attacks against the civilian population by

subordinates under their command” and “failed or refused to take all necessary

measures to investigate and prevent these abuses, or to punish personnel under

their command for committing such abuses.” Id.

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The claims in Mamani were dismissed on a Rule 12(b)(6) motion as being

conclusory and lacking in details sufficient to distinguish them from shootings

based on "individual motivations (personal reasons) not linked to defendants" and

those "compatible with accidental or negligent shooting," which are not

extrajudicial killings under the TVPA. "These allegations sound much like those

found insufficient by the Supreme Court in Iqbal: statements of legal conclusions

rather than true factual allegations. Formulaic recitations of the elements of a

claim, such as these, are conclusory and are entitled to no assumption of truth."

Mamani, 654 F.3d at 1153, citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662 (2009).

"Plaintiffs here base their claims on allegations that defendants knew or should

have known of wrongful violence taking place and failed in their duty to prevent it.

Easy to say about leaders of nations, but without adequate factual support of more

specific acts by these defendants, these “bare assertions” are “not entitled to be

assumed true. … We do not accept that, even if some soldiers or policemen

committed wrongful acts, present international law embraces strict liability akin to

respondeat superior for national leaders at the top of the long chain of command in

a case like this one." 654 F.3d at 1153-1154.

4. State action may be imputed to the Bloque Bananero of the AUC


from the 17th Brigade of the Colombian army.

State action can be imputed to the AUC through the same "under color of

law" analysis applicable to claims asserted under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. This Court has
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said that Congress told it to apply “principles of liability under U.S. civil rights

laws, in particular [42 U.S.C. § 1983], in construing ‘under color of law’ as well as

interpretations of ‘actual or apparent authority’ derived from agency theory in

order to give the fullest coverage possible.” Doe v. Drummond Co., 782 F.3d 576,

606 (11th Cir. 2015), citing S. Rep. No. 249, 102d Cong., 1st Sess. (1991) at 8; see

Kadic v. Karadzic, 70 F.3d 232, 245 (2nd Cir. 1995). State action may be found

"if, though only if, there is such a close nexus between the State and the challenged

action that seemingly private behavior may be fairly treated as that of the State

itself." Brentwood Academy v. Tenn. Secondary Sch. Athletic Ass'n., 531 U.S.

288, 295 (2001) (internal citations omitted); Dennis v. Sparks, 449 U.S. 24 (1980).

In Brentwood Academy, a private association that was "overwhelmingly"

composed of public school officials was sufficiently entwined with the state for

state action to be found. In its analysis, the Supreme Court identified six theories

for finding "color of law" in a § 1983 action: whether the conduct resulted from the

state’s coercive power; whether the state provided significant encouragement;

whether the private actor operated as a willful participant in joint activity with the

state; whether the private actor is controlled by an agency of the state; whether the

private actor was delegated a public function; and the degree of public

entwinement between the state and the private actor. 531 U.S. at 296.

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The Supreme Court has applied four different tests: "whether there is a

sufficiently close nexus between the State and the challenged action of the

regulated entity so that the action of the latter may be fairly treated as that of the

State itself," Jackson v. Metropolitan Edison Co., 419 U.S. 345, 351 (1974);

whether the state has "so far insinuated itself into a position of interdependence"

with the private party, Burton v. Wilmington Parking Auth., 365 U.S. 715, 725

(1961), that there is a "symbiotic relationship" between them, Moose Lodge No.

107 v. Irvis, 407 U.S. 163, 175 (1972); whether a private party is "a willful

participant in joint activity with the State or its agents," Adickes v. S.H. Kress Co.,

398 U.S. 144, 152 (1970); and whether a person exercises "powers traditionally

exclusively reserved to the State." Jackson, 419 U.S. at 352.

The AUC's exclusive control over the Urabá region during this time period

resulted from the collaboration of the Bloque Bananero, the AUC unit in Urabá,

and the 17th Brigade of the Colombian army, in Urabá. Many of Chiquita's

payments were to the "Papagayo Association, a 'Convivir,'" which was established

as a private security company, but had no substance and acted as a front for the

AUC. See Factual Proffer, Appx. at 115. The commander of the 17th Brigade,

General Rito del Rio Alejo, was convicted of war crimes and collaborating with

the AUC in Urabá. See Order in Colombian criminal case, Appx. at 217-225. The

Plaintiffs had alleged that "General Rito Alejo Del Rio, the commander of the 17th

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Brigade from 1995 to 1997 who was responsible for military operations in Urabá,

was notorious for his collaboration and collusion with paramilitaries in the region."

Order Denying Motion to Dismiss DE 412 at 41. General del Rio was finally

arrested in 2008. ... He is accused of conspiracy to murders committed by

paramilitaries in Uraba during his time as 17th Brigade Commander. Id. H.H.

[witness Ever Veloza Garcia] has testified that he twice witnessed del Rio meeting

with the founder and national commander of the AUC, Carlos Castaño. Id. In

addition, AUC paramilitaries could enter and leave the 17th Brigade’s headquarters

at will, with the knowledge and permission of General del Rio. Id. Although the

movants didn't translate the court judgment into English, or analyze General Del

Rio's legal proceedings, the AUC couldn't have controlled traffic into and out of

Urabá, or enforced curfews in urban areas if the Colombian army hadn't allowed

them. The base of the 17th Brigade is in Carepa, about 5 miles south of the main

town of Apartadó, in Urabá.

5. Doe 378 and Doe 840 have made plausible, prima facie showings
that the murders were war crimes occurring in the course of
hostilities.

Even if the Plaintiffs cannot show state action, they may still make prima

facie showings that the murders were summary executions, or war crimes,

perpetrated in the course of hostilities. The cases of Doe 378 and Doe 840 both

make prima facie showings of relationships to the hostilities. The key facts relied

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on by Expert Manuel Ortega are those that distinguish these murders from murders

committed for personal reasons. In the case of Doe 378, the victim was shot by an

AUC patrol for disobeying a curfew imposed by the AUC, which had imposed a

lockdown on the region. Appx. at 127-128. In the case of Doe 840, the victim

was a soldier, the killers carried long guns, arrived on motorcycles, and one of the

abductors was identified and named by Doe 840 in her deposition. Appx. at 130.

The theft of the victims' identity cards show that the killers had to prove the

murders to someone else, and supports the inference that they were committed in

the course of hostilities. The findings of Accion Social, recognizing the plaintiffs

as victims of human rights violations, are suffucient by themselves to support such

an inference.

In Doe v. Drummond, an amended complaint was held sufficiently detailed

to state plausible claims for war crimes occurring "in the course of hostilities"

where AUC commanders had testified that (1) they had attacked the particular

towns mentioned in the complaint; (2) the decedents were executed in the manner,

time frame and locations that would have been in furtherance of the AUC's war on

the FARC; and (3) all of the decedents were among those killed in the area of

Drummond's operations as the AUC pursued its war strategy. Doe v. Drummond,

Memorandum Opinion of November 9, 2009, Case No. 09-cv-1041-RDP (NDAL).

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As in Doe v Drummond, "the heart of the dispute lies in whether the acts of murder

are alleged to have been committed “in the course of hostilities” between the AUC

and the FARC, or a means to further [Chiquita]'s security objectives that was

distinct from the conflict. Id. at *12. What was lacking in Drummond was the

allegation that Drummond intentionally “took a side” in the political unrest in

Colombia in order to advance one side of those interests as opposed to the other, as

is required in this Circuit to state a claim under the war crimes exception to the

ATS. Id. at *13.

D. The civil standard for the TVPA is that the individuals responsible for
the murders were "more likely than not" members of the AUC.

The same arguments made in the context of negligence also apply to

intentional torts, such as the one codified by the Torture Protection Act. 28 USC §

1350 note. Although the mens rea and other details may differ, the civil standard is

the same: the burden is on the Plaintiff to prove each element by the "more likely

than not" standard. In this case, that the murder was committed by a member of

the AUC paid by Chiquita, at a time a place corresponding to Chiquita's payments,

and to the agreement with the AUC to provide "security" for their employees.

CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, the Court should adopt the legal standards argued

by the Appellants, and vacate the District Court's Order with respect to Does 378

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and 840, and order they be remanded to the U.S. District Court for the District of

Columbia.

Respectfully submitted,

/s/ Paul Wolf


________________________
Paul Wolf, DC Bar #480285
Attorney for Does 378 and 840
P.O. Box 21840
Washington, D.C. 20009
(202) 431-6986
paulwolf@yahoo.com

September 1, 2020

Certificate of Compliance
with Type-Volume Limitation

I hereby certify that:

1. This brief complies with the type-volume limitation of Fed. R. App. P.


32(a)(7)(B) and the Court's Order of March 6, 2020, because it contains 12,662
words, excluding the parts of the brief exempted by Fed. R. App. P.
32(a)(7)(B)(iii) and 11th Cir. R. 32-4, and

2. This brief complies with the typeface requirements of Fed. R. App. P.


32(a)(5) and the type-style requirements of Fed. R. App. 32(a)(6) because it has
been prepared using Microsoft Word in Times New Roman, 14-point font.

/s/ Paul Wolf


_________________
Paul Wolf
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Certificate of Service

I hereby certify that on this 1st day of September, 2020, I served copies of
this brief by U.S. Priority Mail counsel for all parties as detailed below. Counsel
for Defendant Ordman has not appeared in the appeal, and when the District Court
granted my motion to compel the identities and contact information for
"Individuals A-J," the preceding defense counsel, Covington & Burling, responded
by accepting service instead of disclosing his address, which I do not know.
Defendants Steven Kreps and Joel Raymer were dismissed from the case.

/s/ Paul Wolf


_________________
Paul Wolf

Two copies to:

Michael Cioffi, Esq.


Blank Rome, LLP
201 E 5th St #1700
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Counsel for Appellee Chiquita Brands, International, Inc.
and Appellee John Ordman

Two copies to

Ardith Bronson, Esq.


DLA Piper, LLP
200 South Biscayne Boulevard
Suite 2500
Miami, FL 33131-5341
Counsel for Appellees Cyrus Friedheim & Robert Kistinger

One copy to

Elissa Joy Preheim, Esq.


Arnold & Porter, LLP
601 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-3743
Counsel for Appellee Robert Olson
51

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