Paraquat Lawsuits
Paraquat Lawsuits
Paraquat lawsuits claim that long-term paraquat exposure causes Parkinson’s disease. Plaintiffs diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease say manufacturers failed to warn users about the risk. If you were exposed to paraquat and later developed Parkinson’s disease, you may qualify to file a lawsuit.
Paraquat Lawsuit Timeline
As of September 2024, 5,891 paraquat lawsuits were pending, and a total of 6,959 cases were filed in Illinois federal court.
Another group of paraquat lawsuits are proceeding in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. In these updates, we focus mostly on MDL 3004 in the Southern District of Illinois. But if key issues occur in Philadelphia, we will report on them.
Paraquat Lawsuit Timeline
People have also filed lawsuits in state courts in Florida and California, according to paraquat manufacturer Syngenta. Lawyers are investigating claims in all 50 states.
Who Can File a Paraquat Lawsuit?
People who worked around paraquat or were exposed to paraquat regularly and later developed Parkinson’s disease may be eligible to file a paraquat lawsuit for compensation.
Most people exposed to paraquat work in commercial agriculture or live near commercial farms. Paraquat is a restricted-use herbicide. This means only licensed, trained applicators can use it, and it’s not licensed for home use.
Those who live near farms may be exposed to spray drift or contaminated water. People who live with licensed applicators may be exposed through contaminated clothing or equipment and by accompanying applicators to work sites.
People who may qualify to file paraquat lawsuits include:
- Agricultural workers, including farmers, licensed paraquat applicators, growers, pickers and landscapers.
- People who live near farmland sprayed with paraquat.
- Anyone who works around commercial weed killers and pesticides.
Contacting a paraquat lawyer is the only way to be sure you qualify. There are time limits to filing a lawsuit, so you should contact a lawyer right away. Some types of paraquat exposure are more difficult to determine than others, but an experienced paraquat attorney can help prove your case.
See if You Qualify for a Lawsuit
Why People Are Filing Paraquat Lawsuits
People exposed to paraquat who developed Parkinson’s disease filed lawsuits against Syngenta, Chevron and other defendants seeking compensation and to hold corporations accountable for negligence and failure to warn of the risks of Parkinson’s disease.
Reasons to seek a paraquat lawyer and file a paraquat lawsuit include:
- Compensation for Injuries. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, and people with the disease will have to undergo treatment for the rest of their lives.
- Hold Companies Accountable. People who filed paraquat lawsuits claim manufacturers knew the weed killer was toxic for years and that it could cause Parkinson’s disease. Despite this, they continued to sell it and concealed this information from plaintiffs and others.
- Spread Awareness. Paraquat has been used in commercial farming and agriculture in the United States since the 1960s. Each year more people are exposed to it. Some people use it on the job, while others live near farms that use the toxic weed killer.
Parkinson’s disease can be debilitating. Filing a paraquat lawsuit may help secure compensation to pay for costly medical bills, lost wages and other expenses for past and future care. You may also seek compensation for physical and emotional pain and suffering as well as loss of quality of life.
Paraquat Lawsuit Examples
Most people who filed paraquat lawsuits said the weed killer led them to develop Parkinson’s disease, but some lawsuits include other injuries, such as kidney disease. Some of the earliest lawsuits were filed in 2016, according to Syngenta’s 2018 financial report.
As the number of lawsuits continued to grow, plaintiff’s lawyers petitioned the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate lawsuits before one federal court. These paraquat class-action suits and individual injury claims are now consolidated in Illinois federal court under Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel.
Paraquat lawsuit examples include:
Holliday et al. v. Syngenta et al.
Iowa farmer Doug Holliday filed a class-action lawsuit against Syngenta and Chevron USA on behalf of himself and others for putting people at increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and failing to warn them. Holliday had sprayed paraquat on thousands of acres of crop ground since the 1990s.
Adams v. Syngenta et al.
Missouri resident Robin Adams and her husband routinely sprayed paraquat products. She developed Parkinson’s disease after more than 15 years of paraquat exposure by pesticide drift, direct exposure and drinking water contamination.
Ratcliffe v. Syngenta et al.
Louisiana resident Thelma Ratcliffe filed a paraquat lawsuit on behalf of her deceased husband, Harvey, who died from complications of Parkinson’s disease after years of paraquat exposure.
In most cases, plaintiffs worked with paraquat for many years before receiving a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.
Paraquat Lawsuit Settlements
In June 2021, Syngenta and another defendant reached a settlement agreement with a few paraquat claimants for $187.5 million, according to our review of Syngenta’s 2022 annual report. There haven’t been any other court-approved settlements since then.
Some lawyers online have speculated that an average paraquat settlement amount could be between $100,000 and $500,000, depending on the severity of the injuries. But this is just an estimate, and we caution you against using these figures as fact. The outcome of the first trial will provide more information for potential case values.
Some people may confuse the herbicide Roundup with paraquat, but Roundup does not contain paraquat. Roundup’s active ingredient is glyphosate, a chemical that has been linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. People have filed Roundup lawsuits against Bayer and Monsanto that claim they hid the risks of the weed killer from the public.
Is Paraquat Banned in the United States?
Paraquat is not banned in the United States, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has restricted its use to licensed applicators. But, because of its toxicity, some lawmakers and activists have fought to get it banned. So far, legislation to ban paraquat hasn’t been successful.
After reviewing more than 70 articles on paraquat exposure, the EPA concluded “there is insufficient evidence to link registered paraquat products to any of the health outcomes investigated, including Parkinson’s disease, when used according to the label.”
Questions To Ask a Paraquat Attorney
Hiring an attorney is an important step. So, we recommend asking your potential attorney — or the attorney that you’ve already hired — some basic questions about paraquat litigation. These are just questions we suggest, and it’s important that you ask the attorney about anything you need clarification on throughout the process.
Do I qualify to file a paraquat lawsuit?
Simply being exposed to paraquat and developing Parkinson’s disease may not be enough to qualify to file a paraquat lawsuit. Make sure to tell your paraquat lawsuit attorney all the details of how you were exposed to paraquat.
How can I prove my paraquat exposure?
Proving paraquat exposure can be complicated. Many people were exposed over several years. Your paraquat lawsuit lawyer will tell you what documentation or evidence can help you prove your case, and they can help you find it.
What is the average paraquat lawsuit settlement amount?
An experienced paraquat lawsuit attorney will also have familiarity with similar cases. They may know what the average settlement amount is based on similar jury verdicts or other settlements.
How can a paraquat attorney help me file a lawsuit?
