Brazilian miner Vale and pellet producer Samarco are subject to a new lawsuit related to the collapse of the Mariana rejects dam in 2015.
The UK law firm Pogust Goodhead and the Dutch Lemstra Van der Kost are asking the equivalent to $3.8 billion in the process, representing 77,000 individuals, 1,000 companies and seven municipalities, having requested the seizure of assets belonging to Vale Holding BV, Vale’s subsidiary in Amsterdam.
In a statement to the market, Vale confirmed that the equivalent to Euro 920 million was seized, as anticipation of future liabilities, adding that “the fact that the prejudgment attachments were granted does not mean the claims in the future lawsuit have merits, from a procedural perspective, nor from a substantive perspective.”
The company added that it will assess the merits of the claims in due course and defend itself appropriately, including on the jurisdiction of the Dutch Courts to rule on these matters.
According to the company, the process “seems to deal with the issues already dealt with and covered in Brazil, either by judicial processes or by the extrajudicial repair work in progress by the Renova Foundation, an entity created for the repair of all damages caused by the rupture, according to agreements celebrated with the Federal Government of Brazil, the States of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo and Brazilian justice institutions such as Federal and State Prosecutors and Public Defenders in Brazil.”