Today I was reporting on Gustavo Villoldo, a Cuban America man who just won a $2.8 billion dollar lawsuit against the Cuban government.  Mr Villoldo says he was tortured for five days shorltly Castro came to power in 1959.  He came from a wealthy family that owned a car dealership, a 3,000 acre estate and an office building in Havana.  All of this prompted Cuban agents to  accuse the Villoldo’s of being “yankee” imperialists.

The revolutionary authorities of the day detained Villoldo’s father several times and threatened to kill the whole family if he did not give up his assets.  The man ended up killing himself. And his sons fled the island.

Villoldo is not likely to get the $2.8 billion awarded to him and to his brother, because Cuba has very few assets the courts can seize in the US.

But still, $2.8 billion?

The amount awarded, made me think of the following:

If  two Cuban American victims are awarded $2.8billion by a Florida judge, (roughly $1.4billion each although it doesn’t quite break down that way) how much will an Alabama judge give to the 352 people who are suing the Drummond Coal company for -allegedly- financing paramilitary groups in Colombia?

In that case we’re talking about  67 relatives who were shot to death and or tortured by paramilitary groups -who were -allegedly- paid by drummond to keep its coal mine in Colombia safe from the attack of guerrilla groups.

How much will a Florida judge award to more than 4,000 people who are suing Chiquita, for hiring guerrilla groups to guard its plantations in Colombia?

I’m not saying Chiquita or Drummond are guilty.  But if they are, how much will each victim cost?

Here’s the article, with a few more details on Villoldo, as you will see, he has quite an interesting history….

http://reut.rs/qiNBcc