BHP said it would defend the claim lodged in Victoria state. It did not specify who had filed the class action, which relates to a 2015 dam burst that killed 19 people.

Samarco and its parent companies Vale SA and BHP signed a deal with Brazilian authorities in June to settle a 20 billion reais (4 billion pounds) lawsuit related to the failure.

The miner also agreed to fund a total of $211 million in financial support for the Renova Foundation, created to help victims of the Samarco dam disaster in Brazil.

Last week, BHP said it expected to record a charge of $650 million in its fiscal 2018 results on account of the failure. The charge was at the lower end of expectations according to analysts.

BHP shares fell 1 percent on Monday in a weaker overall market <.AXJO>

(Reporting by Aditya Soni in Bengaluru; editing by Richard Pullin)