The United States Supreme Court declined the request by the plaintiffs of Balcero v. Drummond to review the case, re-affirming the ruling by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Drummond. The district court dismissed the case on July 25, 2013, on the basis that the plaintiffs relied on inadmissible hearsay to support their claims, and that the claims are not viable.
Balcero was first filed in May 2009, and was based on allegations that Drummond Ltd. and two of its executives had been allegedly involved in human rights violations in Colombia.
The Court´s original ruling stated that the evidentiary record “demonstrated an absence of evidence in support of Plaintiffs´ case.”
This case is another attack on Drummond by Terrence Collingsworth, an American lawyer who has admittedly paid convicted paramilitaries as witnesses against Drummond.
In a recent ruling, after Drummond filed a defamation lawsuit in October 2011 against Collingsworth and his law firm, Conrad & Scherer, the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Alabama declared: “The court has no hesitation in finding that there is (at least) probable cause to believe that [the attorney Terrence] [el abogado Terrence] Collingsworth, while prosecuting lawsuits on behalf of his firm, engaged in witness bribery and suborning perjury.”
Drummond welcomes the Supreme Court´s decision, as it is a re-affirmation that we conduct business following the law at all times. At no time have we been involved in illegal activities or in relationships with illegal groups.
Drummond rejects all violent acts, regardless of their origin, and we support the peaceful resolution of any conflict.