Brazilian iron ore miner Vale’s request regarding jurisdiction in a class action lawsuit was rejected by the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales this week.
In the request, Vale questioned the competence of the court’s jurisdiction on a contribution claim filed by BHP, where the company requests the sharing “on any reflection in a class action against BHP in London.”
The class action lawsuit refers to the collapse in 2015 of the Fundão dam in Mariana, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, which served the iron ore and pellet producer Samarco, co-owned by Vale and BHP.
The lawsuit is asking BHP the equivalent to $46 billion for the damages incurred with the collapse, while BHP asked Vale to participate in the sharing of expenses, in the case of a sentence ordering the payment of the amount.
Vale said in a statement that it is “carefully considering the elements of the decision,” to settle its next steps in the process.