Former CBR tannery owner sues La Rioja provincial government
According to information published by the La Rioja news website fenix951.com.ar, a new legal dispute involving substantial financial claims has emerged against Governor Ricardo Quintela's administration in the federal courts of Buenos Aires. Brazilian businessman Gilmar Harth, former owner of Curtume CBR S.A. and operator of the Nonogasta tannery, previously owned by the Yoma family, has filed a damages lawsuit against the Province of La Rioja directly before Argentina's Supreme Court of Justice.
Harth's legal counsel is seeking a ruling holding the provincial government financially liable for the expropriation of the company's assets in the Chilecito department. The filing under original jurisdiction is based on the plaintiff's status as a foreign citizen and the direct dispute against an Argentine province, a procedure reserved exclusively for disputes involving primary constitutional jurisdiction.
The claim concerns the intervention initiated by the La Rioja provincial government in late 2021 through Provincial Law 10.411. This legislation declared the factory site's land, facilities and production units to be of public interest and subject to urgent expropriation, following months of suspended industrial activity and the foreign group's withdrawal from operations.
The plaintiff is seeking financial compensation in foreign currency, a claim that could place considerable pressure on La Rioja's public finances.
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