Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit

Brent Wisner Roundup Cancer Attorney

“Monsanto’s history is one full of vast lies. They mislead people, promise that their products are safe and make a lot of money by doing so. And when things get uncomfortable, they simply move on to another product. This strategy has proven successful for over 100 years.”

Brent Wisner Interview with Der Speigel

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman attorney R. Brent Wisner represents thousands of people from across the nation who were exposed to Roundup and later diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He served on the trial team in the first three Roundup cancer lawsuits to go before a jury and was co-lead trial counsel in the first and third trials.

The first case to proceed to trial, Dewayne “Lee” Johnson v. Monsanto Company, resulted in a $289.2 million jury verdict against Monsanto. Importantly, the jury also found that Monsanto acted with malice, oppression, or fraud and should be punished for its conduct. While the jury verdict was later reduced to $78.5 million (yet still on appeal), the loss nevertheless sent shockwaves throughout the legal community and the boardroom at Bayer.

Brent was also part of the trial team in the case of Edwin Hardeman v. Monsanto Company. At trial, Brent presented one of the key fact witnesses (Dr. Christopher Portier) and cross-examined most of the corporate witnesses. The Hardeman case culminated in an $80.2 million verdict against Monsanto.

In the third Monsanto lawsuit to go before a jury, Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Company, Brent again took on the role of co-lead trial counsel. During his closing remarks, Brent urged the jury to hold Monsanto accountable for its “reprehensible” conduct.

Brent Wisner Speaking to the Media About the Roundup Litigation

Below are some of Brent’s notable media appearances:

Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million in Roundup Cancer Trial – The Today Show

Pesticide Studies Won E.P.A.’s Trust, Until Trump’s Team Scorned ‘Secret Science’ – New York Times

Jury awards $289 million to man who claims he got cancer from Roundup – CBS This Morning

Historic Ruling Against Monsanto Finds Company Acted with “Malice” Against Groundskeeper with Cancer – Democracy Now!

Judge Reduces Jury Award Against Bayer’s Roundup to $78.5 Million – Wall Street Journal

Bayer shares drop after Monsanto loses Roundup cancer trial – Chicago Tribune

Monsanto on trial over Roundup poisoning case – Al Jazeera

What is Roundup?

Roundup is a Monsanto herbicide with the active ingredient glyphosate. Initially discovered in the 1950s by a Swiss chemist, glyphosate was patented in 1961 as a descaling agent for cleaning pipes. Monsanto’s John Franz discovered the herbicidal properties of glyphosate, and Monsanto took Roundup to market in 1974. Following the introduction of genetically modified Roundup Ready corn in the late 1990s, use of Roundup skyrocketed. Despite its popularity, Roundup has been linked to numerous health issues, including various forms of cancer.

Does Roundup Cause Cancer?

Scientific studies have shown a causal association between Monsanto Roundup weed killer and an increased risk of various forms of cancer. Mounting evidence shows that glyphosate, the active chemical in Roundup, is linked to a host of serious health conditions, including cancer.

In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified glyphosate as a Group C chemical, determining that glyphosate was possibly carcinogenic to humans. This finding was based on early animal studies, which showed increased incidence of cancer in mice exposed to glyphosate.

In 1991, however, after heavy lobbying by Monsanto, the EPA re-evaluated the animal data and re-classified glyphosate as a Group E chemical, indicating that there was no evidence that glyphosate herbicides like Roundup causes cancer in humans. This re-classification occurred shortly before Monsanto’s launch of Roundup Ready seeds and set the stage for what would become a $6 billion a year product for Monsanto.

Learn More About the Glyphosate Cancer Link in Our Roundup Videos

Notably, on two separate occasions, the EPA determined that laboratories hired by Monsanto to conduct Roundup studies committed fraud.

In the early 1970s, Monsanto hired Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories (IBT) to study Roundup’s toxicity levels. IBT conducted 30 separate tests on Roundup weed killer, including 9 of the original 15 studies conducted to register glyphosate with the EPA. When the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) performed an inspection of IBT in 1976, the agency discovered discrepancies between the raw data obtained in the studies and final reporting of the toxicological effects of glyphosate to the EPA.

This led to an EPA audit of all IBT data, which found that numerous toxicology studies of glyphosate were invalid. One EPA reviewer commented as part of the audit that there was “routine falsification of data” and that it was “hard to believe the scientific integrity of the studies[.]” As a direct result of this audit, in 1983, three top executives at IBT were convicted of fraud.

In 1991, Monsanto hired Craven Laboratories to perform various pesticide and herbicide studies, including studies for Roundup. Later that year, the owner of Craven Laboratories and three of its employees were indicted for fraudulent laboratory practices.

In 1996, the New York Attorney General filed a Roundup lawsuit against Monsanto for falsely advertising the weed killer as being “safer than table salt” and “practically non-toxic” to mammals, birds, and fish. The New York Attorney General alleged in the Roundup lawsuit that Monsanto was falsely telling farmers and agricultural workers that Roundup was non-toxic.

This Roundup lawsuit led to an agreement between Monsanto and the New York Attorney General, whereby Monsanto agreed to stop falsely advertising Roundup weed killer as safe within the state of New York. Unfortunately, the Roundup lawsuit agreement was limited to New York, and Monsanto continued to falsely market Roundup as being non-toxic in other states.

Monsanto Roundup Class Action Lawsuit

On June 20, 2017, six individuals from Wisconsin, Illinois, California, New York, New Jersey, and Florida filed a class action lawsuit against Monsanto alleging the company falsely promoted Roundup as interfering with an enzyme found only in plants, but not “in people or pets.”

According to the complaint, Monsanto’s marketing claim that Roundup is safe because it targets an enzyme that is not found in people or pets is “false, misleading, and deceptive, as the enzyme that glyphosate targets is found in people and pets—specifically, in beneficial gut bacteria.”

Glyphosate kills weeds by interfering with the “shikimate pathway,” a metabolic sequence that synthesizes vital amino acids. Glyphosate disrupts the shikimate pathway by interfering with 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP), an enzyme that governs aromatic amino acid formation.

Beneficial bacteria in the human gut (and the guts of other mammals) produces and utilizes EPSP synthase. Our immune systems depend on this beneficial gut bacteria.

Plaintiffs in the case are seeking compensation for themselves and class members equal to the amount they paid for Roundup products, which they would never have purchased had they been adequately informed that glyphosate targets an enzyme that exists in both humans and animals, contrary to Roundup’s marketing.

Baum Hedlund are not only amazing attorneys, but more importantly they are activists. They are about changing the systems which got us into trouble in the first place. They understand their role in the process of making change. Attorneys have the fortunate ability to go into the company files during the investigative process. They see the companies’ behaviors and work hard at getting confidential documents declassified that have true public health benefit. — Kim Witczak.
Read more from our clients

IARC on Glyphosate and Cancer

Over the last 30 years, numerous studies conducted by independent researchers have found a link between glyphosate and various forms of cancer and other serious health risks. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency within the World Health Organization (WHO), conducted an exhaustive analysis on the toxicity of glyphosate and determined the chemical is a probable human carcinogen.

There is an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup a minimum of eight hours in a day, according to a 2008 Swedish study published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Glyphosate Ban?

As a result of IARC’s glyphosate review, the State of California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has determined to list glyphosate as an agent “known to the state to cause cancer” pursuant to Proposition 65. A California judge issued a final ruling on March 10, 2017 that requires California to list Roundup as a chemical “known to the state to cause cancer” in accordance with the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, better known as Proposition 65.

Due to the mounting scientific evidence indicating that glyphosate is a carcinogen, numerous countries have elected to restrict or ban glyphosate, including Roundup.

Does Roundup Cause Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Yes. According to numerous studies, exposure to Roundup increases the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Below are some of the studies demonstrating the link between Roundup exposure and NHL:

• Genotoxic activity of glyphosate and its technical formulation Roundup
• Systematic review and meta-analysis of glyphosate exposure and risk of lymphohematopoietic cancers
• Integrative assessment of multiple pesticides as risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma among men
• Exposure to pesticides as risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and hairy cell leukemia: pooled analysis of two Swedish case-control studies
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and specific pesticide exposures in men: cross-Canada study of pesticides and health
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and occupational exposure to agricultural pesticide chemical groups and active ingredients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

How Does Glyphosate Herbicide Cause Cancer?

Studies show that exposure to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, can cause DNA damage and DNA strand breaks, an important precursor to cancer. IARC specifically assessed the genotoxicity of Roundup (the property of chemical agents that damages the genetic information within a cell causing mutations, which may lead to cancer) and concluded that “[t]here is strong evidence that glyphosate causes genotoxicity.”

Roundup exposure can also induce oxidative stress, which is thought to be involved in the development of numerous conditions, including cancer, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to DNA damage and oxidative stress, some scientists have suggested Roundup exposure can lead to a chronic inflammatory state in the gut, as well an impaired gut barrier, which can increase the risk of cancer.

Monsanto Verdicts and Settlements

The first three Monsanto Roundup lawsuits to proceed to trial resulted in jury verdicts for the plaintiffs worth a combined $2.424 billion. With losses piling up, Bayer’s stock price on the decline and unease with the leadership in the board room at Bayer, a global settlement between Bayer and thousands of plaintiffs throughout the United States could be on the horizon.

How Do I File a Roundup Lawsuit

The law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman represents thousands of clients nationwide in Roundup cancer lawsuits. To find out if you are eligible for a Roundup lawsuit, just follow these three easy steps:

• Contact the Personal Injury Attorneys at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman – To learn more about filing a Roundup lawsuit, call us at 800-827-0087 or fill out the case review form on this page.

• A Baum Hedlund Attorney Will Review Your Case for Free – During your free case consultation, our attorneys will review the circumstances that led to your injuries and determine if you are eligible to seek compensation by filing a Roundup lawsuit. During this time, feel free to ask any questions or raise concerns you may have about the process of filing a Roundup lawsuit.

• Talk to Your Family and Decide If Filing a Roundup Lawsuit Is the Right Decision for You – Even after our personal injury attorneys agree to represent you in a Roundup lawsuit, the choice of whether or not to pursue a claim is still yours to make.

Why Baum Hedlund Is the Right Law Firm to File Your Roundup Lawsuit

Baum Hedlund has successfully handled thousands of cases and secured over $4 billion in verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients. With more than 40 years of experience handling personal injury and wrongful death cases, our firm has developed a reputation for holding Fortune 500 companies accountable, influencing public policy, raising public awareness, and improving product safety.

*Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes.

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