Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit

Monsanto Roundup (glyphosate) weed killer has been designated as a probable human carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). Farmers, farm workers, landscapers and gardeners who use Roundup or other glyphosate products are at risk for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other forms of cancer. Consumers across the United States who have been diagnosed with cancer due to Roundup or glyphosate herbicide exposure are making the decision to file a Roundup lawsuit.

If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after being exposed to Roundup weed killer and would like more information about whether you might have a potential Roundup lawsuit, please contact a personal injury attorney at Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman by filling out the contact form below.

Roundup Lawsuit

Roundup (glyphosate) is an herbicide manufactured by agricultural giant Monsanto. It is used by farmers and agricultural workers throughout the United States as an all-purpose weed killer.

Since the Roundup weed killer first entered the market, Monsanto has denied claims that Roundup causes cancer, telling farmers and agricultural workers that Roundup is safe. However, recent studies by researchers and the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that Roundup can cause cancer and other serious health problems.

In March of 2015, the World Health Organization surveyed the research on Roundup cancer links and concluded the blockbuster herbicide is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Research shows that Monsanto has known that Roundup weed killer is carcinogenic for several decades, but buried the risks as sales of Roundup continued to skyrocket in the United States and abroad.

Outraged by Monsanto’s deception, weekend gardeners, farmers, agricultural workers and their families are making the decision to file a Roundup lawsuit alleging that Roundup causes cancer.

Roundup and Cancer

A number of Roundup cancer studies have found evidence linking the weed killer’s main ingredient, glyphosate, to serious side effects. The most serious Roundup side effects include Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Baum Hedlund is currently accepting non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after Roundup (glyphosate) exposure, the most effective means of holding Monsanto accountable is by filing a 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 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:

“Every single thing that causes cancer…has had this moment, where the science was buried, where the company who was making the money hid it, and it finally gets caught up where the truth gets brought to the forefront, when jurors get to see all those internal documents, get to see the science that was buried, and set it straight. This is that moment. This is that moment where you actually get to make them change their conduct…This is, frankly, their day of reckoning.”

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 non-selective herbicide used to kill weeds that compete with agricultural crops. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, works by inhibiting a specific enzyme required for plant growth.

By 2001, Roundup weed killer was the most-used active ingredient in American agriculture, with an estimated 85-90 million pounds used each year. In 2007, that number reached 185 million pounds annually and today, Roundup remains the most widely used herbicide in the United States and worldwide.

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.

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.”

Filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, the lawsuit names Monsanto Co. and Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., which markets and distributes Roundup in several U.S. states. Baum Hedlund and six other law firms represent the plaintiffs in the Roundup class action.

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.

What is the Difference Between an Individual Roundup Lawsuit and the Roundup Class Action?

Individual lawsuits against Monsanto seek remedy for personal injuries (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) sustained as a result of exposure to Roundup. Farmers, farm workers, horticulturalists, landscapers, gardeners, government employees, and a host of other people have filed individual lawsuits against Monsanto based on allegations that Monsanto knew about the link between exposure to Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but failed to warn consumers.

Monsanto faces individual lawsuits in the following courts:

• Federal Litigation MDL 2741, (Multidistrict Litigation), U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco.

• California State Litigation:
  • County of Alameda, Case No. RG17853420
  • County of San Francisco, some of the cases are CGC-16-550128 (first Roundup cancer trial against Monsanto: Dewayne Johnson vs. Monsanto Co.), CGC-17-563100, CGC-17-563101, CGC-17-563102, CGC-17-563104, CGC-17-563105

• St. Louis Circuit Court Litigation – City of St. Louis Circuit Court for the 22^nd Circuit, St. Louis, Missouri. Some of the cases:
  • Case No. 1722-CC00746, 1722-CC00796, 1722-CC00799, 1722-CC08672, 1722-CC11478,1722-CC11924,1822-CC00001,1822-CC00240

• Jefferson County Circuit Court Litigation. Some of the cases:
  • Case No. 18JE-CC00194, 18JE-CC00191, 18JE-CC00192, 18JE-CC00193

The Monsanto Roundup class action, on the other hand, involves consumers who say they would never have purchased Roundup products had they known that glyphosate targets an enzyme that exists in the human body and the bodies of certain mammals, contrary to Monsanto’s marketing.

Anyone who purchased certain Roundup products can participate in the Monsanto class action over the misbranding of Roundup. Claimants are not required to prove that they suffered personal injuries as a result of using the product, only that they purchased the product.

Is Baum Hedlund Representing Clients in the Monsanto Class Action?

Our firm is not currently accepting additional class representatives for the Monsanto Roundup class action. We are, however, continuing to accept and represent individuals or next of kin whose loved ones were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup.

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, there have been numerous glyphosate studies conducted by independent researchers showing a link between glyphosate and various forms of cancer and other serious health risks. Most recently, in March 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.

Farmers, Gardeners and Landscapers Using Roundup at Risk for Developing Cancer

Recent studies, including a glyphosate study published in the Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology in 2014, indicate that “chronically ill humans showed significantly higher glyphosate residues in urine than healthy population.” Glyphosate has been detected in the blood and urine of agricultural workers, indicating that agricultural use of Roundup leads to its absorption.

The IARC Monograph specifically evaluated farm workers in the United States, finding that within days following the application of Roundup to a crop, approximately 60 percent of farm workers tested positive for glyphosate in their urine. In fact, in 1995, the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides reported that, in California, which has the most comprehensive program for reporting pesticide-caused illness, glyphosate was the third-most reported cause of pesticide illness among agricultural workers.

If you are a farmworker harmed by Roundup exposure, protect yourself and your family by finding out if you are eligible for a Roundup lawsuit.

Farmers and farm workers aren’t the only people whose lives have been turned upside down by Roundup. A growing number of home gardeners and landscapers have filed lawsuits against Monsanto alleging that Roundup exposure caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

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 the IARC’s glyphosate study, 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?

In the IARC Monograph on glyphosate, the researchers conducted a systematic review of over 15 studies designed to assess whether there was an association between Roundup exposure in agricultural workers and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

The researchers reviewed each study, identified the results and assessed each study’s strengths and weaknesses. After the evaluation, the IARC concluded that despite the limited evidence concerning the carcinogenicity of glyphosate in humans, a “positive association has been observed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

In addition to the IARC’s assessment, in 2014, scientists published a systematic review and meta-analysis on the relationship between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and occupational exposure to agricultural pesticides, including glyphosate, in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study showed a statistically significant association between farm workers exposed to Roundup and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The glyphosate study confirmed two smaller studies from 2002 and 2008, published in the journal Leukemia & Lymphoma (2002) and the International Journal on Cancer (2008), both of which also showed a statistically significant increase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma among agricultural workers exposed to glyphosate.

Collectively, these studies suggest that Monsanto Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially in agricultural workers.

How Does Glyphosate Herbicide Cause Cancer?

Various studies have shown that exposure to glyphosate can cause DNA damage and DNA strand breaks, which is an important precursor to cancer. Indeed, the 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.”

Additionally, the glyphosate herbicide studies have shown that that glyphosate exposure can induce oxidative stress, which is thought to be involved in the development of numerous conditions, including cancer, autism and Parkinson’s disease. When the IARC evaluated whether glyphosate was associated with oxidative stress, the agency concluded that “strong evidence exists that glyphosate . . . can induce oxidative stress.” This could be an important mechanism by which Roundup causes cancer.

In addition to DNA damage and oxidative stress, some scientists have suggested Roundup’s association with various serious health conditions is linked to the effect that Roundup has on the digestive system. Specifically, some scientists believe the same mechanism that makes Roundup toxic to weeds also makes it toxic to the microbes within the human gut. When humans are exposed to Roundup, it leads to a chronic inflammatory state in the gut, as well an impaired gut barrier, which can lead to many long-term health effects, including an increased risk of cancer.

How Do I File a Roundup Lawsuit?

The law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman is currently investigating Monsanto and filing cases involving glyphosate-induced injuries. 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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Roundup® Weed & Grass Killer ConcentrateRoundup® For LawnsRoundup® Ready-to-Use Plus Comfort Wand Weed and Grass KillerOther Roundup® Product

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