The number of Syngenta corn lawsuits have tripled in size and are now being combined into one large Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) in Kansas.

The Syngenta lawsuits come after allegations that the company sold genetically modified (GMO) corn seeds without Chinese approval, costing U.S. farmers between $1-3 billion dollars after China rejected the corn export.

Nearly 1,400 Syngenta cases are in the process of being transferred into the consolidated MDL filed by corn farmers, corn exporters and various victims working in the U.S. corn markets. 

The Syngenta corn lawsuits will all be transferred to a Kansas district court overseen by U.S. District Judge John W. Lungstrum. The Syngenta MDL is known as Syngenta AG MIR162 Corn Litigation, 14-md-2591, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas.

What is GMO Corn?

In 2010, Syngenta engineered a genetically modified corn strain called Viptera with claims that the product would have a better defense against corn earworms and black cutworms which are common corn pests. After sale approval from the U.S., Brazil and Argentina, Syngenta began selling Viptera corn to those three countries.

Syngenta issued a sample for sale approval in China, but regulators declined the product. In late 2013, China began taking an even tougher stance on GMO corn and started banning all U.S. corn imports with traces of Viptera. 

Farmers and other plaintiffs allege that the Chinese ban on U.S. corn was devastating, resulting in billions of dollars of loss that could have been avoided if Syngenta hadn’t misled consumers with promises that China’s approval was impending.

By December 2014 China finally approved the Viptera MIR162 import.

Syngenta Lawsuits

The expanding number of Syngenta GMO corn lawsuits claim the company marketed and prematurely sold the unapproved corn seeds to U.S. farmers knowing there was high risk of financial loss. With an estimated five million tons of corn bought by China from U.S. farmers in one year, attorneys estimate an 11 cent/per bushel loss that should be compensated to the plaintiffs.

Agricultural leaders Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Cargill Inc. claim that their financial loss would not have occurred if Syngenta did not misrepresent their product and are seeking compensation for economic damages.

Although China has recently approved the genetically modified corn, plaintiffs in numerous Syngenta lawsuits claim that the company over-marketed the product before getting the country’s approval for import which was negligent and misleading on their part.

Both the plaintiffs and the defendant Syngenta agree that the exact financial loss would be difficult to determine solely based on China’s genetically engineered corn ban. Weather may also have played a factor in the drop in corn prices. One lawsuit reports that between July and October of 2013, which was one month prior to China’s GMO corn ban, the price of corn dropped 32 percent.

Thousands of Viptera lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts as farmers, corn exporters and corn brokers join existing lawsuits. If you were affected by the decline in corn prices you may be eligible to join a Syngenta class action lawsuit investigation.