UK judge Finola O'Farrell has rejected Brazilian miner Vale’s request to not share liability with Australian miner BHP Billiton in a lawsuit over the dam disaster at Samarco, the joint venture between Vale and BHP, according to media reports. The judge stated that Vale should be seen as part of the £36 billion ($46 billion) lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in April 2024.
In December last year, BHP called for Vale to share liability if it loses the lawsuit, as SteelOrbis previously reported.
The trial refers to the collapse of the Samarco Mariana dam in 2015, resulting in 19 deaths and a massive environmental disaster that hit the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.