The plaintiffs in the class action claim to be representing some 1,200 injured parties and say that they hope to be awarded compensation in the three-digit million range.

The retaining wall of an iron ore mine owned by the Brazilian mining giant Vale ruptured suddenly on January 25, 2019, killing at least 260 people in the ensuing mudslide.

A subsidiary of TÜV Süd inspected the dam six months before its collapse and found it to be safe. However, TÜV Süd denies it bears any legal responsibility for the dam bursting as Vale did not comply with the recommendations it made in its safety report.

Vale has agreed to pay almost 6 billion euros (7 billion dollars) in compensation to the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, where the disaster occurred.

According to the Minas Gerais authorities, about one third of the sum has been earmarked to benefit the community of Brumadinho and the local population. But lawyer for the plaintiffs, Jan Erik Spangenbergt, dismissed this claim as “a sham,” saying that no funds have been or are planned to be handed out to the local population.

The plaintiffs in the Munich case are the Brumadinho municipality and the relatives of a Vale engineer who died when the dam collapsed.

According to a spokeswoman for the plaintiffs, it is unlikely that the court will be quick to reach a decision and is instead expected to require a number of technical questions to be assessed.