Professional Documents
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In Re Chiquita Brands Appellants Response and Reply Brief
In Re Chiquita Brands Appellants Response and Reply Brief
___________________________________________
____________________________________________
OF
Counsel certifies that the following is a complete list of the trial judge(s), all
(noted with its stock symbol if publicly listed) that have an interest in the outcome
and parent corporations, and other identifiable legal entities related to a party,
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
other legal heirs with interests, whose identities are known to the Appellees, but
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
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Aguirre, Fernando
Alsama, Ltd.
Anacar LDC
Arvelo, José E.
B C Systems, Inc.
Baird, Bruce
Bandy, Kevin
ii
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Bronson, Ardith
Brundicorpi S.A.
Carrillo, Arturo J.
CB Containers, Inc.
Childs, Robert
iii
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iv
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Chiquita Nordic Oy
Chiquita Norway As
Chiquita Sweden AB
Chiquita UK Limited
ChiquitaStore.com L.L.C.
CILPAC Establishment
Cioffi, Michael
Collingsworth, Terrence P.
vi
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Dante, Frank
Davies, Patrick
DeLeon, John
DLA Piper
Duraiswamy, Shankar
Dyer, Karen C.
FMR LLC
vii
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Friedheim, Cyrus
Garland, James
Girardi, Thomas V.
Gould, Kimberly
Green, James K.
Guralnick, Ronald S.
Hall, John
Jones, Stanton
Keiser, Charles
King, William B.
Kistinger, Robert
Lack, Walter J.
Markman, Ligia
Martin, David
McCawley, Sigrid S.
Mosier, Mark
Mozabanana, Lda.
ix
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Olson, Robert
Ordman, John
Philips, Layn
Priedheim, Alissa
Rapp, Cristopher
Reiter, Jonathan C.
Scarola, Jack
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Silbert, Earl
Simons, Marco
Skinner, William
Sperling, Jonathan
Spiers N.V.
Sprague, Ashley M.
Stewart, Thomas
Stubbs, Sidney
TransFRESH Corporation
Tsacalis, William
Wichmann, William J.
xi
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Wiesner, Eduardo A.
Wilkins, Robert
Wolf, Paul
Wolosky, Lee S.
Zack, Stephen N
Zuleta, Alberto
Certification
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
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
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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
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
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
xvi
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TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases Page(s)
Ashcroft v. Iqbal,
556 U.S. 662 (2009) …………………………………………………. 44
Cabello v. Fernandez-Larios,
402 F.3d 1148 (11th Cir. 2005) ………………………………….. 37-38
xvii
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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
Halberstam v. Welch,
705 F.2d 472 (D.C. Cir.1983) …………………………………..….... 38
Henderson v. Shinseki,
131 S.Ct. 1197 (2011) ………………………………………..……… 5
Kadic v. Karadzic,
70 F.3d 232 (2nd Cir. 1995) ……………………………………….. 45
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
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
Smith v. LePage,
834 F.3d 1285 (11th Cir. 2016) …………………………………….. 11
Statutes
28 U.S.C. § 1350 note, Pub. L. 102–256, 106 Stat. 73 (Mar. 12, 1992). 36, 49
xxiii
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Other
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SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
Chiquita avoids the legal issues on appeal, which are: (1) whether the
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
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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-
3
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ARGUMENT - REPLY
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
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
because of the translation, the time to refile it would be governed by the Court's
Chiquita wasn't prejudiced by it, and raised this issue at the last minute for reasons
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
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
Id. at 1364.
promote the orderly progress of litigation by requiring that the parties take certain
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
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.
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
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
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'
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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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,
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
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
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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
qualified witness" who could introduce them. The Ray case also repeats the black
admissible form." Id. at 914. The issue at this stage isn't whether the Appellants
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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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
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
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
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,
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.
Colombian government doesn't issue Apostilles for most of the types of documents
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
Chiquita has been unable to disprove this by obtaining an Apostille on any of 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
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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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,
other plaintiffs. The Supreme Court has identified the “two central concerns of
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
The transferee court's role is limited to common issues and evidence, and
have the authority to enter pretrial orders that “govern the conduct of the trial”
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
"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
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
particular cases and frustrate the possibility of settling individual cases between
Id. at 638-639.
16
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the potential to open the door to a disturbing distraction from what should
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
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
stage, the Plaintiffs' burden is only to show that the documents are capable of being
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
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
the Procedural Administrative Code. Appx. at 143.10 It says that Doe 378 was
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
"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
Chiquita's argument that the Accion Social letter doesn't rise to the level of
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
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
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
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
evidence. In United States v. Brown, 9 F.3d 907, 911 (11th Cir. 1993), the Court
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
AUC member could be considered adversarial. Nevertheless, they are all capable
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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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
manifest error. “A district court abuses its discretion if it applies an incorrect legal
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
Alabama Power, and remand for further proceedings. The Koppe–Sahu model, as
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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
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
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
Agent Ortega did explain how he concluded that the AUC probably
committed the murders. He applied the probable cause standard to the facts and
officers, and used to solve crimes. Ortega knew, from years of experience
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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In criminal cases, the Supreme Court has said that circumstantial evidence is
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
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
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
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
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
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inference, which is also a jury question. Maiz v. Virani, 253 F.3d 641, 666 (11th
Cir. 2001).
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
1. The 11th and D.C. Circuits assign the same weight to direct and
circumstantial evidence.
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
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
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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
"[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
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.
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:
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
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
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
possible conclusion. The law is not so exacting that it requires proof of negligence
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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
B. The Appellees have waived any issues related to forum non conveniens
by not arguing them in the cross-appeal.
Statement of November 21, 2019 are: (1) whether the District Court erred by not
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
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
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,
killing shall, in a civil action, be liable for damages to the individual's legal
death." Id.; see Torture Victim Protection Act ("TVPA"), Pub. L. 102–256, 106
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.”).
beyond the person or persons who actually committed those acts - anyone with
higher authority who authorized, tolerated or knowingly ignored those acts is liable
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
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
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).
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
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.”
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
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
“To charge a private party with state action under this standard, the
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
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
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
involved multiple assassinations. Id. The Court used the plural forms of
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
protect[ed] and/or work[ed] in concert with them.” 578 F.3d at 1266. Under the
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
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
soldiers and police wielding machine guns, to attack and kill scores of unarmed
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
against protesters” … “knew or reasonably should have known of the pattern and
subordinates under their command” and “failed or refused to take all necessary
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extrajudicial killings under the TVPA. "These allegations sound much like those
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
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
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
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).
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
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
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
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
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
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
an inference.
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,
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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
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
D. The civil standard for the TVPA is that the individuals responsible for
the murders were "more likely than not" members of the AUC.
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
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,
September 1, 2020
Certificate of Compliance
with Type-Volume Limitation
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.
Two copies to
One copy to