Paraquat Settlement Reached for Parkinson’s Disease Lawsuits Filed in MDL

Lawyers report that an agreement has been reached to settle Paraquat Parkinson’s disease lawsuits brought throughout the federal court system, but additional cases remain in state courts.

According to recently filed court documents, a Paraquat settlement agreement has been reached that may resolve thousands of Parkinson’s disease lawsuits pending in the federal MDL (multidistrict litigation).

Paraquat is a controversial weedkiller that was sold by Syngenta and Chevron, which has been at the center of massive litigation that has spread throughout the federal court system and several different state courts, each raising similar allegations that users were not adequately warned that exposure to the herbicide may lead to the development of Parkinson’s disease.

While a federal appeals court is considering arguments over whether to reinstate a group of Paraquat lawsuits previously set for early bellwether trials, lawyers indicate that they have signed a Letter Agreement that is intended to resolve the claims for an undisclosed sum of money.

Syngenta and Chevron currently face more than 5,800 Paraquat lawsuits in the federal court system, with hundreds of additional cases also pending in California and Pennsylvania state courts, each involving claims that the manufacturers failed to adequately disclose the link between Paraquat and Parkinson’s disease.

Given common questions of fact and law raised in complaints brought throughout the federal court system, a Paraquat lawsuit MDL was established in June 2021, centralizing the claims before U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel in the Southern District of Illinois for coordinated discovery and a series of early “bellwether” trials, which are designed to gauge how juries may respond to certain evidence that will be repeated throughout the federal claims.

In April 2024, Judge Rosenstengal dismissed the first batch of potential Paraquat bellwether lawsuits, after excluding key expert witness testimony presented by plaintiffs in that case. However, that ruling remains on appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 

While that appeal was being pursued, Judge Rosenstegal selected 10 new Paraquat bellwether candidates late last year, which involve different expert testimony and are currently being prepared for a series of trial dates set to begin in October 2025 and April 2026.

However, a joint motion (PDF) was filed with the appellate court on April 14, asking that the appeal be held in abeyance due to the likelihood of a Paraquat settlement being announced in the coming weeks.

“On April 14, 2025, lead counsel for Plaintiffs and Defendants in the In re Paraquat Products Liability Litigation MDL entered into a signed Letter Agreement that is intended to resolve this case and many others in the underlying MDL proceedings and, therefore, could obviate the need for this Court to resolve this appeal,” the motion states. “Holding this case in abeyance therefore serves the interests of judicial economy.”

Details on the agreement have yet to be released, including any information about what the average Paraquat settlement payouts will be, or number of cases impacted.

The motion only mentions an agreement to settle Paraquat MDL lawsuits, and hundreds of additional claims pending in California and Pennsylvania state court are currently expected to continue moving forward, with at least one claim scheduled to go before a jury this summer.