BHP and Vale $5.7billion lawsuit for Samarco dam dismissed, report says.
The Brazilian iron ore mining company Vale has announced that a 20 billion reals ($5.7billion) civil lawsuit has been dismissed – seven months on from the Samarco dam disaster.
In a statement on their website, Vale said that the lawsuit was “dismissed without prejudice and the decision has become final, therefore not subject to appeal.”
In November 2015, a tailings dam burst at the South African mine releasing 60milliong cubic metres of mud, polluting the Rio Doce river, destroying a local village and killing at least 13 people.
The civil lawsuit was filed against Vale by the National Humanitarian Society (Sohumana) in December 2015.
In May 2016 the Brazilian Government reached a settlement with Vale and BHP Billiton, who own the Samarco mine in a joint venture, to pay 20 billion reas over the course of 15 years to cover and repair damages and clean up following the disaster.
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