Information on Paraquat Settlement Offers To Be Provided to Special Master, MDL Judge Orders

Special Master Randi Ellis has been directed to update the court on the status of the proposed Paraquat settlement within the next three months.

Following months of negotiations, the U.S. District Judge presiding over all federal Paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuits has called on the parties to provide key details on a proposed settlement agreement by April 20, in hopes that it will lead to a resolution to litigation over the controversial weed killer.

Paraquat is a powerful and toxic herbicide introduced in the U.S. in 1964 under the brand name Gramoxone. It is widely used nationwide to kill broadleaf weeds and grasses before crops are planted, as well as to dry out some crops in preparation for processing. However, it is now known to be extremely toxic, which has led to a ban in more than 70 countries and special training requirements for American applicators.

While long known to present severe poisoning risks, studies have linked Paraquat use to Parkinson’s disease in recent years. Researchers warn that farm workers, landscapers and other agricultural workers who spray, mix or handle the weed killer face increased risks of developing chronic and progressive neurological damage.

As a result, handlers of the herbicide have filed more than 6,500 product liability lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron, each alleging that the manufacturers failed to warn that Paraquat exposure can increase the risks of Parkinson’s disease.

Paraquat Settlement Negotiations

In June 2021, a Paraquat lawsuit multidistrict litigation (MDL) was established in the Southern District of Illinois before U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengal, who is overseeing coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings. She has also been working with the parties to prepare a series of “bellwether” trials designed to gauge how juries may respond to evidence and testimony likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.

The first trial, originally scheduled to begin in January 2026, was averted when Syngenta reached a settlement agreement with the plaintiff just before the trial was set to start. Discussions have intensified for the litigation since April 2025 when the parties announced they were nearing a Paraquat Parkinson’s disease settlement. Since then, Judge Rosenstengal has maintained a stay on the litigation, pausing all pretrial proceedings at the federal level.

On April 6, the judge issued a case management order (PDF) calling for the parties to grant Special Master Randi Ellis access to information on the status of the settlement negotiations and the deal being hammered out.

Judge Rosenstengal has directed the parties to provide Ellis with the names of plaintiffs who do not qualify for the settlement under its current terms, as well as a list of eligible cases and the firms representing them that have opted out or intend to do so. The parties must also identify eligible cases that remain undecided and report the total dollar amounts allocated to cases that have opted in, opted out, indicated an intent to do so, or have yet to make a decision. The information is due by April 20.

“Once the above materials have been received and reviewed, Special Master Ellis shall meet with each plaintiff who opted out of the Settlement or has not opted in or opted out—or, at Special Master Ellis’s discretion, with plaintiff’s counsel—to ensure that the plaintiff is making an informed decision and understands his or her rights and obligations should the plaintiff choose not to participate in the Settlement.”

– U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengal

The judge called for Ellis to provide her with a progress report within 90 days.

Last month, Syngenta announced that it was ending global Paraquat production by June of this year and plans to retool the only Paraquat manufacturing plant in Huddersfield, UK.

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