Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit
We are no longer accepting new Monsanto Roundup cases.
Monsanto Roundup (glyphosate) weed killer is designated as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO). Farmers, farm workers, landscapers, gardeners, and others who use Roundup weed killer or other glyphosate-based herbicides are at risk for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other forms of cancer.
Faced with the prospect of paying massive medical bills and losing wages due to a cancer diagnosis, consumers from across the United States who were exposed to Roundup are making the decision to file a Roundup cancer lawsuit against Monsanto (now Bayer).
Baum Hedlund Statement Regarding Roundup Litigation Settlement:
Baum Hedlund is pleased with the settlement. It is a big first step in correcting the forty years of harm caused by glyphosate. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is devastating. Over the last four years, as we have pressed this litigation forward despite innumerable obstacles, we have had tremendous success in a few important cases. But, those successes have been tempered with the fact that many of our clients continue to suffer from the consequences of cancer. This settlement is for everyone and should help our clients rebuild and move forward in a meaningful way. Actual settlement amounts are yet to be determined, and each of our clients will be made an individual offer based on the facts of their case. For now, however, this is an important and historic day in the fight to protect consumers from harmful pesticides. And, while the story of glyphosate is not over—there are likely many fights surrounding cancer, food safety, and GMOs to be had—this chapter of the glyphosate litigation is over.
Roundup Lawsuit
Roundup (glyphosate) is a Monsanto herbicide used by farmers, gardeners, maintenance workers, agricultural workers, and many others as an all-purpose weed killer. Since Roundup first entered the market in the 1970s, Monsanto has denied claims that Roundup causes cancer, insisting that Roundup is safe. A Monsanto advertisement once noted that Roundup is “safer than table salt.”
But according to internal Monsanto emails now known throughout the world as The Monsanto Papers, Monsanto has known for several decades that Roundup (glyphosate) causes cancer. Rather than informing consumers about the glyphosate cancer risk, Monsanto buried the risks as sales of Roundup continued to skyrocket.
In March of 2015, IARC surveyed the published research on Roundup cancer links and concluded the blockbuster herbicide is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” The cancer agency further concluded that the cancer most associated with exposure to glyphosate is non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Outraged by Monsanto’s deception, more than 40,000 people have made the decision to file a Roundup lawsuit alleging exposure to Roundup causes cancer.
Our firm represents thousands of people who are pursuing justice against Monsanto (now Bayer) because they do not want what happened to them or a member of their family to happen to anyone else. They want consumers to have the choice— to know the health consequences associated with using a product. If they would have known that Roundup was a carcinogen, they never would have used the product.
The Only Roundup Cancer Attorneys in America to Serve on the Trial Teams for All Three of the First Monsanto Trials
The first three Roundup cancer lawsuits to proceed to trial resulted in a combined $2.424 billion in jury verdicts.
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman is the only law firm in the country to serve on the trial teams for all three of the first Monsanto lawsuits to go before juries. In two of those trials, Baum Hedlund attorney R. Brent Wisner served as co-lead trial counsel. Learn more about our work on these cases in the links below.
Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co. – $2.055 Billion Jury Verdict
Johnson v. Monsanto Co. – $289.2 Million Jury Verdict
Hardeman v. Monsanto Co. — $80 Million Jury Verdict
Who Can File a Roundup Lawsuit Against Monsanto?
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman represents people from all across the country who were exposed to Roundup (glyphosate) and later diagnosed with B cell or T cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including many subtypes like diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), hairy cell leukemia (HCL), Burkitt lymphoma, and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome).
Most of our clients are individuals who sprayed Roundup around their home or business. We also represent government workers, farmers, agricultural workers, gardeners, landscapers, and others.
Anyone diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma after using Roundup for their occupation or on their property (i.e. home and garden use) should consider speaking with a Roundup cancer attorney about filing a claim. Thousands of individuals from all walks of life and from all across America have filed Roundup cancer lawsuits against Monsanto, with more and more people joining the litigation each day.
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 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 shock waves 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.
Monsanto Roundup News
If I File a Roundup Lawsuit, Am I Joining a Monsanto Class Action?
No, the individual Roundup lawsuits over the link to non-Hodgkin lymphoma are not part of a Monsanto class action. The individual Roundup cancer lawsuits seek remedy for injuries (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) sustained as a result of being exposed to Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate.
Roundup class actions against Monsanto are related to allegations of false and misleading information on the Roundup label and don’t involve personal injury or wrongful death claims. According to the class actions, Monsanto continues to mislead consumers by representing glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, as targeting an enzyme that is “found in plants but not in people or pets.”
The Monsanto class actions (filed in multiple states) allege that the enzyme glyphosate targets exists in people and pets. Per the class actions:
“Glyphosate functions as a biocide by inhibiting the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (“EPSP”) synthase, disrupting the fifth of six enzymatic steps in the shikimate pathway, which processes aromatic amino acids in certain organisms. Although humans and other mammals themselves do not have a shikimate pathway, the shikimate pathway is present in bacteria, including beneficial bacteria that inhabit the mammalian gut and are essential to overall health. EPSP is therefore “found in . . . people [and] pets. Just like it inhibits EPSP synthase in weeds, the active ingredient in Roundup inhibits EPSP synthase in these human and pet gut bacteria, and just like it targets weeds, the active ingredient in Roundup targets the human and pet gut bacteria.”
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.
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 and are not participating in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit 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.
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
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 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.