BHP Billiton, a 50 percent shareholder at Brazilian pellet producer Samarco, is facing a 5 billion GBP ($6.3 billion) lawsuit in the UK over the Mariana dam burst in Brazil, according to a media report from Reuters.
The media report said over 200,000 people will join the class action lawsuit to be opened in Manchester on July 22. They claim BHP Billiton ignored safety warnings and disregarded cracks that indicated early signs of rupture.
The media report said an initial hearing will establish if the case can actually be heard in the UK. Citing a BHP spokesman, the media report said the lawsuit did not belong in the UK because it duplicated proceedings in Brazil.