City law firm lands record £36bn BHP case
City-based law firm Quinn Emmanuel has been appointed to lead litigation on a £36bn claim against BHP, one of the largest class action claims in UK history.
Another London-based law firm, Pogust Goodhead, is leading the claim against the mining giant over a 2015 collapse of a dam in Brazil, and said on Wednesday it has secured a partnership with Quinn Emmanuel and $150m (£114m) of funding specifically for the litigation.
Pogust Goodhead said it has entered a “strategic partnership” with Quinn Emmanuel, successfully landing a round of funding from New York-based hedge fund Gramercy Funds Management – the firm’s primary funder – with an initial tranche of $85m (£65m).
The claim, which was one of Brazil’s worst environmental disasters, leading to the deaths of 19 people and the destruction of hundreds of villages, was originally brought by more than 200,000 Brazilian citizens, hundreds of businesses, and 25 local municipalities, after the BHP and its joint-venture partner Vale’s Funadao dam collapsed in 2015.
“Quinn Emanuel is widely recognised for its resilience, tenacity and track record of success in some of the world’s most demanding disputes,” Pogust Goodhead said, adding “these qualities mirror Pogust Goodhead’s own determination in pursuing justice and securing the best possible outcome for Mariana claimants.”
The case hit the City’s courts in 2018, but it did not proceed to trial until 2022 when the Court of Appeal brought forward the claim after BHP had asked the lawsuit to be dismissed in the English courts, claiming the proceedings would be duplicated in Brazil.
In November 2025, BHP was found responsible for the failings and the Court of Appeal in May this year handed down a judgment refusing to proceed with the mining giant’s application to appeal.
“For more than a decade, our clients have fought for accountability. With liability now established and BHP’s attempts to challenge that finding rejected, the focus turns to securing the compensation they deserve and bringing this case to a long-awaited resolution,” Howard Morris, Chairman of Pogust Goodhead, said on Wednesday.
Funding fears from Pogust
The move comes as Pogust Goodhead, originally known as PGMBM before the firm rebranded, have experienced an exodus of lawyers resigning in recent months over concerns related to Gramercy and source of a £500m investment in 2023.
Senior partner, Tom Ainsworth, who originally led the BHP litigation, removed himself from the case over concerns the hedge fund was inappropriately involved in the firm’s cases and operations.