A lawsuit filed against Bangladesh with a US District Court over the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse has been withdrawn.
“The case was withdrawn last week by the plaintiffs,” confirmed a senior official of the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry yesterday.
Abdur Rahaman, a personal representative of victims Sharifa Begum and Mahamudul Hasan Hridoy, filed the case with the US District Court of Columbia on April 23 this year against Bangladesh, JCPenney Corporation, The Children’s Place and Wal-Mart Stores.
The plaintiffs alleged that the defendants had acted negligently and recklessly in failing to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for garment factory employees at the Rana Plaza building in Savar.
The petition sought an order to pay compensatory damages to the plaintiffs and other victims; to pay the costs of filing case, including attorneys’ fees and expenses; and to require injunctive relief, including requiring defendants to implement labour practices consistent with international standards for worker health and safety protection.
The Bangladesh government appointed law firm Foley Hoag to defend the case, the Foreign Ministry official said adding that they were unaware of the reason why the case had been withdrawn. “One good reason might be that a US court has no jurisdiction over Bangladesh.”
Rana Plaza that housed five factories collapsed on April 24, 2013 killing over 1,130 workers and injuring more than 2,500 others. Owners of the building and the factories were sued in several cases alongside government officials.
