Paraquat Settlement Offers Rejected by Hundreds of Parkinson’s Disease Plaintiffs

If Paraquat settlement falls through, a federal judge may revive a plan to hold a series of bellwether early test trials.

Hundreds of individuals pursuing lawsuits against the makers of Paraquat over alleged Parkinson’s disease risks have rejected a tentative settlement to resolve thousands of claims.

Syngenta and Chevron currently face more than 6,600 Paraquat lawsuits in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL), primarily involving farmers, agricultural workers, landscapers and others who allege repeated exposure to the herbicide caused them to develop Parkinson’s disease.

The lawsuits allege the manufacturers knew or should have known about evidence linking Paraquat exposure to neurological damage, but failed to adequately warn users about the potential risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Paraquat Parkinson’s Disease Risks

Originally introduced under the brand name Gramoxone in the 1960s, Paraquat has been used for decades to kill broadleaf weeds and grasses, as well as to clear fields and dry certain crops before harvesting or processing.

While Paraquat has long been recognized as highly toxic if swallowed, lawsuits filed in recent years have focused on the potential neurological effects associated with repeated exposure, particularly among individuals who mixed, sprayed or otherwise worked around the herbicide for extended periods.

Thousands of claims have been filed alleging that long-term Paraquat exposure may damage brain cells involved in producing dopamine, which plays an important role in movement and is depleted in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

The mounting claims led to the creation of the federal Paraquat MDL in the Southern District of Illinois in June 2021, where U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel has presided over coordinated discovery, pretrial proceedings and efforts to select representative cases for early test trials.

Similar allegations are now being raised in a developing group of chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits, involving another widely used pesticide. Recent claims allege agricultural workers and others developed Parkinson’s disease after years of exposure to chlorpyrifos products while mixing, loading, applying pesticides or working in treated areas.

Paraquat Settlement Rejections

For more than a year, Judge Rosenstengal has put the litigation on pause to give attorneys the opportunity to work out a Paraquat settlement agreement. However, a September 29 report by SWI, a Swiss media outlet, indicates that many plaintiffs do not like the proposed agreement. Syngenta is based in Switzerland.

The report indicates more than 900 plaintiffs have rejected the deal, which would leave the parties far short of the necessary buy-in to ensure the deal is approved. Some individual law firms representing large numbers of plaintiffs involved in the litigation say they have rejection rates ranging from 80% to 100%.

In April, a Special Master appointed by the court was ordered to meet with the plaintiffs holding out, but it does not appear that those meetings resolved the issue. Neither the law firms, the court, nor the defendants have revealed the sticking points in the proposed settlement.

If the agreement falls through, Judge Rosenstengal is likely to revive plans for a series of bellwether early test trials that would put representative cases before juries to see how they respond to evidence and testimony that would be commonly put forward throughout the litigation. One of those bellwether trials was settled out of court in January.

Those plaintiffs who refuse the settlement and move forward with their litigation would have to show evidence of Paraquat exposure and a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. Currently, efforts to reach a suitable settlement continue.

Syngenta ended production of Paraquat in June, but maintains claims the herbicide was safe and that it will continue to fight any lawsuits that move forward without agreeing to the settlement.

Herbicide & Pesticide Parkinson’s Lawsuits

Paraquat and chlorpyrifos Parkinson’s disease lawsuits are being investigated nationwide for individuals who experienced repeated occupational, residential or environmental exposure to these herbicides and pesticides before being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Individuals who may face the greatest risk of substantial exposure include:

• Farmers and farm workers
• Herbicide and pesticide applicators
• Tank fillers, mixers and transporters
• Landscapers, groundskeepers and municipal workers
• Pest control technicians
• Individuals living or working near agricultural areas where Paraquat or chlorpyrifos products were regularly used

Parkinson’s disease lawyers are reviewing potential claims for individuals who may be eligible to pursue compensation over allegations that manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the neurological risks associated with repeated exposure to Paraquat, chlorpyrifos and other pesticides.

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