Latest news with #cocoafarms
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US court dismisses child-labour claims against cocoa importers
Nestlé, Hershey, Mars are among cocoa importers to have defeated an attempt to revive allegations they benefited from child slavery on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the proposed class action lawsuit from eight plaintiffs, each a citizen of Mali, who sought to blame Hershey, Nestle, Mars, Mondelez International and three other companies for human trafficking. According to the plaintiffs, they were forced to work as children on farms after being promised well-paying jobs in remote areas of the west African country. They also allege that it was months or years before they were able to return home. However, the appeals court found there was no link between the plaintiffs' forced labour and the importers. US Circuit Judge Justin Walker wrote the 'plaintiffs in this case deserve the greatest sympathy and the people who took away their childhoods deserve the greatest condemnation. 'But the plaintiffs did not plausibly allege a connection between those people and the importers. The plaintiffs, therefore, lack standing to sue the importers.' Walker also wrote: "Is there a 'possibility' that at least some of the importers sourced cocoa from those farms? Yes, but is it 'plausible'? Not on this complaint.' As a result, the court concluded the plaintiffs did not 'connect the defendants to any specific cocoa plantations,' as they made no mention of which specific plantations they worked on as children. A lawyer representing the plaintiffs, Terry Collingsworth, said his clients were "extremely disappointed" and are "considering their legal options.' According to Reuters, the lawyer said the court 'rewarded the chocolate multinational defendants ... for concealing their cocoa supply chains, such that former child slaves are unable to link a specific company to the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) farms where they were enslaved'. "US court dismisses child-labour claims against cocoa importers" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
CTV News
22-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Hershey, Nestle, other cocoa companies defeat appeal of child slavery lawsuit
Nestle's logo is displayed on a window in Vevey, Switzerland on Feb. 14, 2019. (Laurent Gillieron / Keystone via AP) A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a proposed class action by eight Malian citizens who sought to hold Hershey, Nestle and five other companies liable for child labour on Ivory Coast cocoa farms. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found no causal connection between the plaintiffs' forced labour and the defendants' alleged venture to obtain 'cheap cocoa harvested by enslaved children.' The plaintiffs said they were required to live in squalor and threatened with starvation if they did not work, after being approached by unfamiliar men who falsely promised paying jobs. They sued under a federal law protecting children and other victims of human trafficking and forced labour. Circuit Judge Justin Walker, however, said the plaintiffs alleged at most they worked in areas that supplied cocoa to the defendants, which buy an estimated 70% of Ivorian cocoa, rather than specific farms that supplied the cocoa. 'Is there a 'possibility' that at least some of the importers sourced cocoa from those farms? Yes,' Walker wrote. 'But is it 'plausible'? Not on this complaint.' Other defendants included privately-held Cargill, privately-held Mars, Mondelez International MDLZ.O, Barry Callebaut BARN.S and Olam International. Mali and the Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa. A trial judge ruled for the defendants in June 2022. Terry Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said his clients were 'extremely disappointed' and considering their legal options. 'The court rewarded the chocolate multinational defendants ... for concealing their cocoa supply chains, such that former child slaves are unable to link a specific company to the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) farms where they were enslaved,' he said. In March 2024, the same court dismissed a similar lawsuit seeking to hold five major technology companies including Apple AAPL.O and Tesla TSLA.O liable for child labour in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Collingsworth represented the plaintiffs in the cobalt case. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
Hershey, Nestle, other cocoa companies defeat appeal of child slavery lawsuit
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a proposed class action by eight Malian citizens who sought to hold Hershey, Nestle and five other companies liable for child labor on Ivory Coast cocoa farms. In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found no causal connection between the plaintiffs' forced labor and the defendants' alleged venture to obtain "cheap cocoa harvested by enslaved children." The plaintiffs said they were required to live in squalor and threatened with starvation if they did not work, after being approached by unfamiliar men who falsely promised paying jobs. They sued under a federal law protecting children and other victims of human trafficking and forced labor. Circuit Judge Justin Walker, however, said the plaintiffs alleged at most they worked in areas that supplied cocoa to the defendants, which buy an estimated 70% of Ivorian cocoa, rather than specific farms that supplied the cocoa. "Is there a 'possibility' that at least some of the importers sourced cocoa from those farms? Yes," Walker wrote. "But is it 'plausible'? Not on this complaint." Other defendants included privately-held Cargill, privately-held Mars, Mondelez International, Barry Callebaut and Olam International. Mali and the Ivory Coast share a border in West Africa. A trial judge ruled for the defendants in June 2022. Terry Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said his clients were "extremely disappointed" and considering their legal options. "The court rewarded the chocolate multinational defendants ... for concealing their cocoa supply chains, such that former child slaves are unable to link a specific company to the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) farms where they were enslaved," he said. In March 2024, the same court dismissed a similar lawsuit seeking to hold five major technology companies including Apple and Tesla liable for child labor in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Collingsworth represented the plaintiffs in the cobalt case. The case is Coubaly et al v Cargill Inc et al, D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-7104. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New YorkEditing by Alexandra Hudson)
