The American fruit giant Chiquita has been hit with a new lawsuit on behalf of victims of Colombian paramilitaries. Earlier this year, Chiquita admitted to paying $1.7 million to a right-wing Colombian paramilitary group on the U.S. terrorist watch list. On Wednesday, nearly 400 Colombian plaintiffs filed a civil suit seeking almost $8 billion in damages. Plaintiffs’ attorney Jonathan Reiter said Chiquita should be held accountable for the killings it helped fund.

Jonathan Reiter: “The principle on which this lawsuit has been brought is that when you put money into the hands of terrorists, when you put guns into the hands of terrorists, then you are legally responsible for the atrocities, the murders and the tortures which those terrorists commit.”

Chiquita says it fell victim to an extortion attempt and made the payments only to protect its employees. But a private investigator hired by the plaintiffs disputed Chiquita’s denials. The investigator, William Acosta, says his findings leave no doubt over Chiquita’s complicity.

William Acosta: “Most of the victims during our interviews in Colombia always mention Chiquita as being the party which sends people in to threaten them.”

Chiquita is already facing another lawsuit from relatives of 144 people killed by Colombian paramilitaries. The company has paid a $25 million fine to the U.S. government, but none of the money has gone to the victims’ families.