Make-or-break moment for lawyers in £36bn BHP Brazilian dam disaster case

By CALUM MUIRHEAD

Updated: 22:17 GMT, 4 March 2025

One of the biggest class action lawsuits in English legal history will enter its final stages today in a make-or-break moment for the law firm facing down mining giant BHP.

London-based Pogust Goodhead (PG) is locked in a high-stakes battle in the High Court with the Anglo-Australian digger over the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil, which killed 19 people and contaminated waterways and land spanning several villages in 2015. 

The class action is estimated to be worth £36billion, with PG having recruited 620,000 people alongside around 2,000 businesses and several local Brazilian authorities to sue BHP.

PG has argued the miner is liable for the collapse of the dam. BHP has disputed this. Closing arguments begin as PG faces doubts about its future should judges not rule in its favour.

The firm is backed by US investment manager Gramercy, which provided £500million to help fund the case. 

Should PG succeed, it will reportedly receive up to 30 per cent  of the proceeds, allowing the US firm to more than make back its investment.

Lawsuit: London-based Pogust Goodhead is currently locked in a high-stakes battle in the High Court with BHP over the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil

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Make-or-break moment for lawyers in £36bn BHP Brazilian dam disaster case

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