BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – January 20, 2026 – Starnes Davis Florie LLP proudly announces that a federal jury in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama returned a unanimous verdict on January 15, 2026, in favor of its clients, Drummond Company, Inc. and Drummond Ltd. (collectively, “Drummond”), and against attorney Terrence P. Collingsworth and his NGO, International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates). One of the witnesses at trial testified that Collingsworth was funded by George Soros.
The jury found that Collingsworth made false and defamatory accusations, claiming that Drummond supported paramilitary groups in Colombia and was complicit in human rights crimes, including scores of murders. The jury further determined that Collingsworth, IRAdvocates, and others violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) through a pattern of conduct including extortion, witness bribery, witness tampering, wire fraud, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.
The jury not only found the accusations made against Drummond were false, but they also found clear and convincing evidence that Collingsworth either knew or recklessly disregarded the falsity of his accusations when he made them.
In the consolidated actions—one for defamation and the other under RICO—the jury awarded Drummond $26 million in compensatory damages and $26 million in punitive damages on the defamation claim, and $68 million on the RICO claims. Pursuant to the RICO statute, the RICO award is automatically trebled, resulting in a total judgment value of $256 million. This represents one of the largest plaintiff verdicts in Alabama history and is the largest federal jury award in Alabama history.
Under the RICO claims, the jury found liability based on witness bribery and witness tampering, including payments exceeding $400,000 to witnesses such as Jaime Blanco Maya, Jairo de Jesus Charris (a.k.a. “El Viejo Miguel”), and alias “El Tigre.” Co-conspirators Colombian attorney Iván Alfredo Otero Mendoza and Dutch businessman Albert van Bilderbeek were also held liable under RICO, so they, along with Collingsworth and IRAdvocates will be jointly and severally liable for the $204 million RICO award.
“This landmark verdict is a resounding vindication for Drummond after decades of enduring malicious accusations that a jury has now unanimously determined were unequivocally false,” said Trey Wells, lead trial counsel for Drummond at Starnes Davis Florie LLP.
The jury’s verdict (hopefully) represents the final chapter in a 24-year saga. Starting in 2002, Collingsworth filed multiple lawsuits against Drummond under the Alien Tort Statute. Starnes Davis Florie LLP represented Drummond in those underlying cases, and Drummond has won every one of them to have reached conclusion. The defamation case was filed in 2011, and Drummond started to uncover evidence of certain payments made to imprisoned witnesses and/or their family members that had not been disclosed in the underlying ATS cases. As that evidence was developed further, a separate RICO action was filed in 2015. The cases were consolidated for trial after key pretrial rulings, including denials of summary judgment and spoliation sanctions against the defendants.
Starnes Davis Florie LLP’s trial team, led by Trey Wells and including Tony Davis, Ben Presley, Blair Trotter, Kamryn Carpenter, Laura Alice Hillhouse, and Joseph Stipp, along with co-counsel Sara Kropf of Kropf Moseley Schmitt in Washington, D.C., delivered this significant victory for Drummond.
Drummond, in its own public statements, reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to ethical and responsible operations, stating it will continue to conduct business with the highest standards of integrity and respect for the rule of law.
For more information about Drummond Company, Inc., visit https://www.drummondco.com/.
About Starnes Davis Florie LLP Starnes Davis Florie LLP is a Birmingham-based law firm, with offices in Mobile and Nashville, dedicated to complex litigation, trial advocacy, and representing clients in high-stakes matters across the United States. For more information, visit https://www.starneslaw.com/.
Contact: Trey Wells (205) 868 – 6083 or twells@starneslaw.com
