[A] state court judge in Los Angeles dismissed a case against Dole Food that grew out of conduct that allegedly occurred in Colombia over a decade dating back to 1997. Dole was accused of making illegal payments to a paramilitary organization known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. The plaintiffs, 185 relatives of Colombians murdered at the hands of the AUC, claimed that Dole had paid the organization to drive local banana farmers from their land and protect its property from vandals. On Sept. 14, Los Angeles Superior Court judge Ann Jones dismissed the complaint on statute of limitations grounds.