Paraquat lawsuits overview:
- Who: Consumers recently filed dozens of lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron.
- Why: The lawsuits allege consumers developed Parkinson’s disease after exposure to paraquat herbicide products manufactured and sold by Syngenta and Chevron.
- Where: The lawsuits were filed in U.S. federal courts.
Dozens of consumers recently filed lawsuits against Syngenta and Chevron over claims they developed Parkinson’s disease following exposure to herbicide products containing paraquat that the companies manufactured and sold.
Among the complaints filed this month include three individuals who separately claim they developed Parkinson’s disease after exposure to paraquat herbicide products.
Plaintiff Emma Daniels, who says she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s on or about 2022, claims Chevron and Syngenta deliberately concealed the dangers associated with paraquat exposure for at least four decades.
Daniels argues Chevron and Syngenta hid evidence of the dangers of paraquat from government agencies and “knowingly unleashed a product they knew caused Parkinson’s Disease on the public,” according to the lawsuit.
“Defendants knowingly, falsely, deceptively and inaccurately designated and represented that their paraquat products were safe with the intent to mislead and deceive consumers, including plaintiff,” Daniels’ lawsuit states.
Chevron, Syngenta should have known paraquat a ‘highly toxic substance,’ lawsuit says
Plaintiff Edward Kacures, who says he was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2013, claims he did not know exposure to paraquat was associated with the disease prior to mid-2023 nor did he know it was necessary to take precautions to avoid injury.
“Before mid-2023, plaintiff had never read or heard of any lawsuit alleging that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease,” thet lawsuit states.
Plaintiff William Neese, meanwhile, claims in another lawsuit that Syngenta and Chevron either knew or should have known that paraquat was a “highly toxic substance” and should have taken steps to ensure consumers would not be harmed by “foreseeable” uses of it.
Neese, who says he suffers from Parkinson’s disease, argues the companies engaged in “negligent acts and omissions in the research, testing, design, manufacture, marketing and sale of paraquat,” according to the lawsuit.
“At all relevant times, Defendants knew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known, that paraquat was a highly toxic substance that can cause severe neurological injuries and impairment,” Neese’s lawsuit states.
The three lawsuits broadly claim Chevron and Syngenta are guilty of negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of express warranties and implied warranty of merchantability and Consumer Protection and Unfair Trade Practices Act violations.
The plaintiffs demand jury trials and request awards of actual, punitive, statutory, compensatory and exemplary damages.
In past news involving herbicide, Monsanto agreed to pay as much as $45 million in October 2022 to end claims the company unlawfully promoted and sold Roundup, HDX and Ace weed and grass killer products without disclosing their potential health risks.
Were you diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease after being exposed to paraquat herbicide products? Let us know in the comments.
The paraquat lawsuits are Neese v. Syngenta AG, et al., Case No. 3:24-pq-01103; Kacures v. Syngenta Crop LLC, et al., Case No. 3:24-pq-01127; and Daniels v. Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, et al., Case No. 3:24-pq-01115; all in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
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