Paraquat Parkinson’s Disease Cases Consolidated in Multi-District Litigation
Litigation is mounting against companies that manufacture and sell toxic herbicide paraquat. In June 2021, a federal multi-district litigation (“MDL”) was established in the Southern District of Illinois centralizing almost 80 complaints. The lawsuits, filed largely by agricultural workers, allege that their Parkinson’s disease diagnoses were due to exposure to the herbicide. Created in the 1960s, paraquat-containing herbicides have been sold under several different brand names (including commonly-purchased Gramoxone) and distributed by many farm supply stores and companies such as Syngenta, Chevron Chemical Company, Growmark and others. Plaintiffs additionally allege that these companies concealed the neurological risks associated with the herbicide.
The MDL enables the dozens of paraquat cases to be managed by one judge, follow coordinated discovery, and potentially lead to a series of bellwether trials. These early trials help gauge the reactions of juries in subsequent litigation.
In 2019, about a dozen paraquat cases were centralized as part of a JCCP (Judicial Counsel Coordination Proceeding) in California state court. Notice of settlement on those cases was filed in mid-June 2021, however it is unclear what impact, if any, the settlement may have on the MDL.
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If you or a loved one handled or used an herbicide or pesticide containing paraquat and were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, you may be legally entitled to compensation.