London court to hold new hearing on Mariana tragedy in July
The High Court in London has set July 2 and 3 as the dates for the case management conference on the Mariana case. The hearings should set the stage for the second phase of the trial on the co-responsibility of Anglo-Australian mining company BHP in the environmental tragedy that led to 19 deaths and serious damage to the Doce river basin in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states.
The hearings will consider the damage caused by the collapse of the Fundão dam in 2015 and compensation for those affected, should the company be found guilty.
According to the international law firm Pogust Goodhead, which represents 620 thousand people and 31 Brazilian municipalities affected, the scheduling of the hearing for the first half of 2025—before the sentence of the first phase of the trial, on the responsibility of the mining company—is a demonstration of the priority that the English court has given to the case.
The trial
On March 13, the UK court authorities received the closing arguments from the prosecution and the defense, bringing the first phase of the trial to a close. The sentence for this phase is likely to be announced in June or July.
The second stage should begin in October 2026. This trial will deal with the Brazilian legal principles for assessing and quantifying losses; evaluate the physical extent of the disaster, including the toxicity of the tailings and the areas affected; and quantify compensation for loss of water, energy, and collective moral damages.
The lawyers representing those affected are demanding compensation adding up to some BRL 260 billion in cash. The lawsuit lists property and income losses, increased expenses, psychological impact, impact from displacement and lack of water and electricity, among others.
Note from BHP
In a statement, BHP says that the UK court is still considering the company’s alleged liability and preparing its sentence on the first trial, which ended in March 2025. It notes that the July hearing is strictly procedural and has no connection with the pending liability judgment. The company also reiterates that it “will continue its defense in the UK lawsuit and denies the allegations in their entirety.”
The mining giant also says that it remains focused on ing the implementation of the Brazilian agreement, which includes payments already made to individuals and municipalities. In the UK, the company says that if compensation is due, it should not be paid before 2028.
