A Killer Deal
Um, literally — allegedly literally, anyway.
Lawyers for three slain Colombian coal miners who are suing Drummond Co. in Birmingham have asked for an extra 180 days to get ready for the wrongful death trial slated to start July 9.
The lawyers representing the families of the dead men, their labor union, and international labor rights organizations said in a court filing last week they have discovered a third last-minute witness who needs time to get ready before he can testify at the trial.
The new witness is Isnardo Gonzalez, a former bodyguard for a Drummond executive in Colombia. The filing said he will testify that he saw a Drummond executive visit with militia leaders who were hostile to labor unions, and witnessed payments to such groups.
I’ve heard a few allusions to this case over the past year, and now I see there have been (since overturned) gag orders on top of sealed documents — and not a whole lot of local media coverage. I can’t access Latin American Post right now, although the Locust Fork Journal does have some links to Stephen Jackson Flanagan’s ongoing coverage.
Could be I have a couple of readers out there who could fill in some of the details.