Dole Food Co. Inc. late Thursday said that the Los Angeles County Superior Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by 185 Colombian plaintiffs who claimed Dole had paid off Colombian paramilitary organizations.

The 2009 lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice on Sept. 14, meaning that the Westlake Village fresh food producer is entitled to judgments against the 185 plaintiffs for bringing what the company termed a “frivolous” suit.

“It was based on the self-motivated declaration of a convicted Colombian terrorist in the custody of the Colombian government, which the court had found was ‘inherently unreliable due to the unique circumstances in which (he) finds himself,’ ” C. Michael Carter, Dole’s general counsel, said in a statement. “This lawsuit was grossly irresponsible.”

This is the second recent legal victory for Dole concerning its South American operations. A Second District Court of Appeal judge in July threw out a multimillion-dollar award to six Nicaraguan men who had claimed Dole’s use of a chemical had rendered them sterile. The appeals judge determined that fraud by American and Nicaraguan attorneys had tainted the trial.

Dole shares were down 5 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $9.06 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.