Atlanta, GA – A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit accusing an Alabama coal company's Colombian arm of complicity in the killings of three union leaders in the South American country in 2001.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta reversed a lower judge's ruling on Thursday that dismissed the lawsuit against Drummond Company Inc. The company has denied any involvement in the killings.
A federal judge dismissed the claims from the eight plaintiffs on grounds that they didn't have standing to file them in Alabama. But the three-judge panel reversed the ruling and sent the case back to the judge, finding that the plaintiffs ``clearly have a stake in the controversy.''
A separate but similar lawsuit filed against the company is still pending.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)