Syngenta Will Be The Sole Paraquat Parkinson's Disease Defendant In Most Upcoming Lawsuits

The MDL judge determined that Chevron had nothing to do with alleged cases of Parkinson's disease after it discontinued selling the product

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - A federal judge presiding over nearly 400 cases filed from around the country and consolidated in multidistrict litigation (MDL) has absolved Chevron Inc. and its subsidiaries of responsibility for certain paraquat Parkinson's disease lawsuits. Chief Justice Nancy Rosenstengel presiding over the MDL has ordered that Chevron can not be held responsible for injuries allegedly sustained by plaintiffs that came into contact with paraquat after the company stopped selling it In 1990. Plaintiffs allege that working or living around paraquat causes Parkinson's disease, a deadly neurological disorder. Chevron will not be a defendant in instances where the plaintiff's alleged contact with paraquat occurred after 1990 when Chevron stopped selling the poisonous defoliant. Removing chevron from the defendant's list is the type of details that are decided in one motion through MDL, rather than haggle over the issue hundreds of times in each case. MDL is not a class-action lawsuit but does join the cases together to streamline administrative proceedings and complicated scientific issues.

Another factor that MDL helps streamline is having each potential plaintiff fill out and notarize a plaintiffs fact sheet where technical answers are hammered out and certified. For example, the Paraquat Parkinsons plaintiffs fact sheet requires that a prospective plaintiff have an official diagnosis of Parkinson's disease by a licensed physician. It also forces plaintiffs to provide all of their medical records and their diagnosis. The plaintiff must demonstrate how they came into contact with paraquat, the frequency, and the duration, and that they were unaware of paraquat’s dangers. This may be problematic for the tens of thousands of potentially undocumented farmworkers that have become sick with lung disease, Parkinson's disease, kidney problems, and a host of other ailments. People that work, live and play in the communities near farms and golf courses that used paraquat heavily have also filed lawsuits. One of the factors that can help them to prove their paraquat exposure is to have residents of the community testify that the unmistakable smell of paraquat is constantly in the air around their homes, businesses, and playgrounds, and that it is impossible not to breathe it. Paraquat vapors force residents of nearby communities to bathe in paraquat air 24-7. Paraquat is dyed blue and has a distinctive odor added to it to discourage people from drinking it accidentally or on purpose to commit suicide. Paraquat is banned for use on golf courses to prevent contaminating golf course workers, many of which have already filed paraquat Parkinson's disease lawsuits.

Paraquat is suspected of causing farmworkers, and those who reside within breathing distance from farms that spray the defoliant, to develop Parkinson's disease. Studies suggest that farmworkers are exposed to paraquat directly by inhaling it and being drenched in the deadly chemical as a routine course of their employment. Farmworkers are on the ground when paraquat is sprayed on crops that have grown resistant to all other methods of controlling weeds. The Environmental Protection Agency has implemented strict controls over the handling, mixing, spraying, storage and all other forms of contact an agricultural concern have with the defoliant.

Lawyers for Paraquat Lawsuits

Attorneys handling Paraquat Lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.