“‘Life Is Too Short’ So Atty Cedes Clients In Chiquita DQ Fight” —

• “The lead attorney representing families of banana farmers accusing Chiquita Brands International Inc. of funding terrorist groups in South America voluntarily stepped away from clients he shared with a lawyer calling for his disqualification, telling a Florida federal court Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic ‘has sharply emphasized that life is too short.'”
• “Terrence Collingsworth of International Rights Advocates was accused of failing to establish an attorney-client relationship with more than 140 plaintiffs, bribing witnesses and later posting confidential material in response to the disqualification bid brought by his co-counsel Paul Wolf.”
• “A hearing on Wolf’s motion to disqualify Collingsworth was set for Monday, but the attorney said Thursday that it wouldn’t be necessary as he was willing to voluntarily relinquish his lead counsel status and step away from the 144 clients he shared with Wolf.”
• “The multidistrict litigation involves families of banana farmers allegedly murdered by a right-wing paramilitary group known as the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, or AUC. The families contend that Chiquita entered into agreement with the AUC in 1995 to pacify the banana plantations amid increasing activity by left-wing guerrilla groups.”