At least 20 class action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of corn farmers and exporters who suffered catastrophic financial losses when their product was contaminated with genetically modified (GMO) corn seed.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Syngenta Viptera induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you are a corn farmer or exporter who had economic losses due to Syngenta Viptera corn, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: $218 Million Awarded to Kansas Corn Farmers
June 2017 — A federal jury in Kansas has awarded $218 million to over 7,000 corn farmers and exporters who lost money after Syngenta AG released the genetically-modified (GMO) corn seed called “Viptera MIR162” before it was approved in China. Click here to read more.
GMO Corn Lawsuits
Syngenta AG is a Switzerland-based agricultural business that began marketing Viptera in the United States in 2010. Although it was only initially planted on a small fraction of corn acres, much of the nation’s supply was tainted due to cross-pollination and cross-contamination during storage and shipment.
The problem is that China, the third-largest customer of American corn, did not approve imports of Viptera until December 2014. In the meantime, farmers were unable to export corn to China. Prices plummeted, costing the industry billions.
Syngenta is accused of negligence for recklessly and aggressively marketing Viptera. They are also accused of misleading farmers about the future approval of GMO corn in China. Farmers claim Syngenta knew or should have known about the risk, but chose to gamble with the livelihood of farmers who did not even plant the seed.
Syngenta Viptera GMO Corn Class Action Lawsuit
Law360 reports that 20 states have filed class action lawsuits against Syngenta AG on behalf of farmers who lost money due to GMO corn.
States in the litigation include Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
GMO Corn Lawsuits Centralized in MDL
In 2014, federal judges centralized about 150 lawsuits involving GMO corn into a Multi-District Litigation (MDL). The MDL is located in a federal court in Kansas, where the growing litigation will be overseen by U.S. District Judge John W. Lungstrum. The MDL process is very similar to a class action, but each individual lawsuit remains independent.
What is the problem?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm, but we are not filing a GMO corn class action lawsuit against Syngenta AG. Instead, our attorneys are only selecting cases involving serious economic losses so we can focus on filing individual lawsuits.
About Class Actions
Class actions make sense in certain circumstances — for example, when auto-makers conceal defects and thousands of people lose resale value. Instead of everyone filing a lawsuit alone, members join together and collectively argue for compensation.
Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action
Class actions can also have disadvantages. Members may have to accept higher attorneys’ fees, a “low-ball settlement,” or share the compensation with everyone else in the class action.
For people with very serious financial losses, it makes sense to hire an attorney who is committed to your individual personal legal representation and maximizing your financial recovery. Our attorneys work on contingency-fee, which means you pay nothing up-front and we don’t get paid unless we win.
Do I have a GMO Corn Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Syngenta Viptera induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you are a corn farmer or exporter who had economic losses due to Syngenta Viptera corn, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call us toll-free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
