The produce company Chiquita is asking a federal appeals court to dismiss lawsuits brought against it by thousands of Colombians who hold the company responsible for the murders of their loved ones at the hands of paramilitaries. Chiquita pleaded guilty in 2007 to giving funds to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, known as the AUC, a right-wing paramilitary alliance supported by top leaders and blamed for killing tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, beginning in the late 1990s. Chiquita is seeking protection from the lawsuits, in part citing last year’s U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the ability of people outside the United States to sue corporations for human rights abuses in U.S. courts. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is the former general counsel of Chiquita. Prior to joining the Obama administration, he represented the company in lawsuits related to Chiquita’s dealings in Colombia.