August 1, 2016 — With nearly two dozen Roundup lawsuits pending nationwide, Monsanto has asked a panel of judges to centralize the cases in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in Illinois.
On July 22, plaintiffs filed a motion (PDF) requesting the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, where three lawsuits are pending. In total, 21 lawsuits have been filed in 14 district courts nationwide.
Monsanto is accused of failing to warn that Roundup causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The plaintiffs include farmers, farm-workers, and home gardeners who used Roundup to control backyard weeds.
The litigation has grown steadily since last year, when Roundup was declared a “probable human carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Monsanto continues to deny any link between Roundup and cancer.
There are many advantages to the MDL process, like improving efficiency, avoiding conflicting rulings in multiple courts, and allowing lawyers to coordinate discovery, trials, and settlements.
Lawyers requested Illinois because its central location is convenient and “no state has a stronger interest” in the outcome. Illinois is the top producer of soybeans and the 2nd-largest producer of corn in the United States — nearly every acre of which is sprayed with Roundup.
The use of Roundup skyrocketed in the mid-1990s when Monsanto introduced “Roundup Ready” crops that were genetically engineered to resist the weed-killer, meaning farmers could spray Roundup over entire fields to control weeds.
Even some non-GMO crops, such as wheat, are sprayed directly with Roundup before being harvested to help them dry out. In February, the FDA announced that it would start testing food for residues of Roundup.
Do I have a Roundup Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Roundup induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Product Liability Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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