ABSTRACT
On April 8, 2013, in the small industrial city of Paulínia an hour from São Paulo, a judge awarded 1,058 workers indemnities of R$ 400 million (Brazilian currency, approximately US$ 115 million) for their exposure to toxic substances while working in a pesticide factory belonging to Shell Brasil and Basf. The lawsuit producing this settlement began in 2007, seeking compensation for workers suffering from pesticide factory contamination between 1974 and 2002. The judge found Shell liable for about R$ 1.1 billion (approximately US$ 320 million) in damages to society—then the highest compensation in Brazilian history for an environmental accident.
