A number of Paraquat lawsuits are close to being finalized in California. The suits were filed in state court and the manufacturer appears to have a reached a settlement with the 16 plaintiffs who had filed suit after loved ones had contracted Parkinson’s Disease after using or being exposed to the herbicide.
Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, and it is unclear what impact, if any, the settlement will have on Paraquat cases now being filed in the federal court system, as well as the internal documents uncovered during this earlier litigation, which reportedly show that Syngenta knew for decades that Paraquat was linked to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to USRTK (US Right to Know).
In other news concerning Paraquat, a trial in Illinois involving Paraquat has been removed from the court docket which may indicate that the manufacturer has settled the claim(s) against it.
Paraquat is a weed and grass killer manufactured and sold since 1962, which has been widely used on several farms throughout the U.S. The herbicide is also sold under several different brand names through farm supply stores, including Gramoxone, Blanco, Cyclone, Helmquat, Bonedry, and others.
Although it has been banned in several countries, paraquat-based herbicides remains on the market in the United States under restrictions that require users to go through a special training and certification process on the safe handling of the chemicals, since ingesting even a small amount can quickly result in death.
A wave of Paraquat lawsuits has been filed across the country in the last month indicating a growing concern in the herbicide’s link to Parkinson’s Disease.
