Chinandega

Our investigation in Chinandega was germane to the League's report, which in 211 pages documents more fully political repression in Nicaragua and concludes that the political opposition has been systematically harassed, with mid-level leaders, particularly in provincial cities such as Chinandega, being jailed in great numbers.

Tangled Nicaragua: An Exchange Aronson, Bernard 1987

Steve Stecklow/The Wall Street Journal After the 2000 law went into effect in Nicaragua, U.S. lawyers soon began setting up shop in the northwestern city of Chinandega, once the heart of the banana-growing region.

Plaintiffs and Plantations 2009

Meanwhile, along the back streets of Chinandega, many plaintiffs say they have lost all hope of ever collecting the giant settlements the lawyers said were possible.

Fraud by Trial Lawyers Taints Wave of Pesticide Lawsuits 2009

U.S. lawyers soon began setting up shop in the northwestern city of Chinandega, once the heart of the banana-growing region.

Fraud by Trial Lawyers Taints Wave of Pesticide Lawsuits 2009

Steve Stecklow/The Wall Street Journal Isaias Paz, 59, worked as a foreman in the 1970s on a Dole-operated banana plantation called Maria Elsa outside Chinandega.

Plaintiffs and Plantations 2009

In 2002, J.an J. Dominguez, a Los Angeles personal-injury lawyer who advertises on buses and billboards for accident victims, also came to Chinandega.

Fraud by Trial Lawyers Taints Wave of Pesticide Lawsuits 2009

Provost Umphrey had begun soliciting former banana workers in Chinandega in 2000.

Fraud by Trial Lawyers Taints Wave of Pesticide Lawsuits 2009

Lists of plaintiffs line the walls at a Chinandega law office set up to handle lawsuits against Dole.

Plaintiffs and Plantations 2009

Meanwhile, along the back streets of Chinandega, many plaintiffs say they have lost all hope of ever collecting the giant settlements some lawyers and recruiting captains said were possible.

Plaintiffs and Plantations 2009

"The first year after we used" the pesticide, "the bananas were huge," says Isaias Paz, who worked for years as a foreman on a Dole-operated banana plantation outside Chinandega.

Fraud by Trial Lawyers Taints Wave of Pesticide Lawsuits 2009