The disaster killed 270 people but the court action only benefits the families of 131 workers directly hired by Vale, which would result in $26 million total payment.

Vale said in a press release that “it is sensitive to the situation of those affected by the B1 dam failure and, for this reason, it has been making agreements with the family members of the victim workers since 2019, in order to guarantee a quick and complete repair.”

The miner can still appeal of the court decision.

The Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) denied in February an order against a deal signed by Vale and the government of Minas Gerais for the reparation of the socio-economic and environmental damages caused by the dam collapse.

Under the terms of the deal, Vale will have to pay R$ 37.6 billion ($7bn) as compensation.