Paraquat Lawsuits Over Parkinson’s Disease Continue To Be Filed, As MDL Stay Extended

A pause on Paraquat litigation put in place in September to give the parties time to hammer out a final settlement has been extended until March 6, 2026.

As plaintiffs and defendants work toward finalizing the terms of a potential global Paraquat settlement by March, new lawsuits continue to be filed alleging that exposure to the weed killer increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

One of the latest claims was brought by Edward Mika, Sr., whose complaint (PDF) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois on December 18, naming Syngenta Crop Protection LLC and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. as defendants.

Paraquat has been widely used for decades to control broadleaf weeds and grasses, including in orchards, and is sometimes applied after harvest to dry crops for processing. However, the herbicide has been banned in many countries due to its extreme toxicity, and growing scientific evidence has linked Paraquat exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease among farmers and agricultural workers, even when the product is used in accordance with safety instructions.

Mika, who is from Maryland, worked on a farm around Finksburg, Maryland for years where he used a hand-held pressure sprayer to apply Paraquat to tomatoes, corn and soybeans. However, following years of working with the herbicide, he began suffering neurological impairment.

In November 2023, Mika was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The lawsuit argues that the disease was caused by Paraquat attacking his nervous system, although he did not learn about the connection until after the diagnosis.

Mika presents claims of design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breach of warranty of merchantability, and violations of state consumer fraud statutes. He seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

The claim is one of more than 6,400 Paraquat lawsuits filed against the manufacturers, each alleging the companies failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers that exposure to the weed killer could cause neurological damage.

In June 2021, the litigation was consolidated into a Parquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuit multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Southern District of Illinois, which is being overseen by U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengal for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

Originally, Judge Rosenstengal had scheduled the first of a series of bellwether trials to begin in October 2025, to help test how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony likely to be repeated throughout the claims. However, in September she announced that the date for the first trial, scheduled to begin on October 14, had been vacated.

The stay was put in place after the parties indicated they were nearing a Paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuit settlement agreement in April 2025. The stay was set to expire on January 5. However, Judge Rosenstengal indicated she would revisit the issue of whether to keep the litigation on pause. 

On December 30, the stay was extended until March 6, 2026. Since the stay was first issued, more than 500 additional claims have been filed.

If the parties determine that no settlement can be reached, case-specific discovery would continue for the bellwether trials. However, it is unclear what the schedule for those trials would be.

While the outcome of any bellwether trials will not have a binding impact on other plaintiffs, they will be closely watched to help gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain evidence and testimony likely to be repeated if a Paraquat settlement is not finalized.

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