BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Asarco LLC is seeking more than $10.5 billion from Americas Mining Corp. Asarco's Mexican parent -- in the form of the return of a stake it had in two lucrative Peruvian copper mines and the $1.7 billion dividends it collected in recent years from those mines.

On the line will be a chance for a long list of Asarco's creditors western states struggling to clean up polluted sites, asbestos victims, bond creditors and more to get paid.

Both companies are subsidiaries of Grupo Mexico, a mining conglomerate headed by German Larrea. Besides mining interests from Mexico to Chile that make it the world's third largest copper producer, Grupo Mexico also controls the country's largest railroad. Forbes ranked Larrea at No. 127 on its list of the world's billionaires with a fortune estimated at $7.3 billion.

Larrea, chief executive of Grupo Mexico and AMC, is expected to testify. The trial, scheduled to begin today, has been scheduled for four weeks before U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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