BHP Australia Group and BHP United Kingdom Group said on Friday that they have submitted their defense and request for contributions against Vale in connection with English lawsuits related to the 2015 Mariana (MG) Fundão dam failure.

The Australian mining company said that the requirement for a contribution is a procedural step, since Vale did not appear as a defendant in the English process.

The lawsuit alleges that if the defense fails and they are ordered to pay damages to the plaintiffs in the English case, Vale must pay whatever amount is due.

Both BHP Group Australia and BHP Group United Kingdom are defendants in a class action seeking compensation for alleged damages caused by the collapse of the Fundão Dam. The division was owned and operated by Samarco, joint venture between the BHP subsidiary in Brazil and Cal.

“BHP will continue to defend the English lawsuits, which it believes are unnecessary as they duplicate issues already covered by Renova’s existing and ongoing work and litigation in Brazil,” the company said.