Nearly Two Decades After Suit Was Filed, Hundreds of Peruvian Plaintiffs Secure Resolution Against Renco Group, Doe Run, and Ira Rennert

Schlichter Bogard announced today that all parties have reached a global settlement in the long-running consolidated federal litigation on behalf of 1,373 Peruvians who allege they were subjected to lead poisoning and other toxic injuries as children while living near the La Oroya smelter in the Peruvian Andes.

The complaint, filed against St. Louis-based Doe Run Resources Corporation, a subsidiary of The Renco Group, which is privately owned and controlled by billionaire Ira Rennert and his family trusts, alleged that Doe Run failed to reduce lead emissions at a Peruvian smelting and refining complex, resulting in permanent injuries and harms.

Originally filed in state court in 2007 on behalf of 17 children, the litigation was later consolidated in federal court with 40 other cases and ultimately grew to represent more than 1,000 plaintiffs.

The initial bellwether phase of the litigation, consisting of four trials, was scheduled to commence on June 23. The first two trials were each to involve five representative plaintiffs, while the third and fourth were to involve 12 representative plaintiffs. The settlement resolves all cases consolidated before the Court in this action.

The settlement brings to a close a nearly two-decade legal battle and one of the longest-running transnational toxic tort cases litigated in the U.S. courts and underlines the importance of companies taking responsibility for their actions when operating globally, particularly when decision-making and profit flows are tied to the United States. Over the course of the litigation, plaintiffs and their counsel overcame numerous procedural and jurisdictional challenges while pursuing claims on behalf of the Peruvians, all of whom were children when they alleged they were exposed to lead contamination emitted from the La Oroya facility during the time of Don Run’s ownership.

"This resolution is the culmination of 19 years of relentless work to obtain justice for children who were innocent victims of one of the most severe environmental disasters of the modern era," said Jerome Schlichter, founder and co-managing partner of Schlichter Bogard. "We are deeply proud to have stood with these children, now young adults, for the long haul. Their blood lead levels were among the highest ever recorded.”

At the time this contamination was discovered, local Catholic Church leaders were outraged and then Archbishop Baretto, now Cardinal Barreto, contacted St. Louis University’s School of Public Health. Researchers from the university subsequently measured those highest blood levels which prompted other church leaders from the St. Louis community to support the community in Peru.

About Schlichter Bogard LLP
Schlichter Bogard is a plaintiffs' litigation firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, with a record of achieving landmark results in complex federal litigation, including toxic tort and ERISA matters.

The firm pioneered litigation that protected 401(k) savers and retirees from excessive fees and won three unanimous decisions before the U.S. Supreme Court affirming those protections under ERISA. Since 2006, the firm has secured more than $700 million in settlements, and multiple federal judges have stated that its work has helped reduce 401(k) fees by more than $2.8 billion.

For decades, the firm's attorneys have delivered justice to injured individuals across the country, achieving numerous significant verdicts and settlements—including dozens of multimillion-dollar recoveries—for victims of employer negligence, defective products, and other unlawful conduct.

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