Monsanto faces a new lawsuit alleging that their Roundup herbicide products can cause cancer, a risk not warned by the manufacturers.

Plaintiff Ludie J. recently filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Company, alleging that the company’s Roundup herbicide products caused them to develop cancer.

Ludie claims to have repeatedly used Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide products throughout their life. In 2016, Ludie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. They argue that the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, a chemical known as glyphosate, caused them to develop cancer.

Roundup herbicide is a weed killer that was released in the 1970s after Monsanto discovered the herbicidal properties of its active ingredient, glyphosate. Glyphosate is a non-selective, broad-spectrum herbicide meaning it kills weeds indiscriminately based only on whether or not a plant produces a specific enzyme.

This makes it an effective herbicide which targets even resilient weeds. Roundup has both domestic and commercial uses and an estimated 250 million pounds of roundup are used every year.

Ludie argues that glyphosate has carcinogenic properties. As early as 1985, the EPA Toxicology Branch classified glyphosate as a “possible human carcinogen with limited evidence.”

Since then, numerous studies have been published which show that glyphosate-based pesticides affect cell cycle regulation, increasing the change for cellular mutation and the development of cancers. Ludie claims that these studies provide sufficient evidence to change the carcinogenic classification of glyphosate.

In 2015, after over a year of review, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as a Class 2A probable carcinogen. This classification means that its mechanisms show evidence of being carcinogenic and there has been sufficient evidence of its carcinogenicity in animals.

The only classification higher than Class 2A is Class 1 “carcinogenic to humans.” This classification means that, without a doubt, the material is carcinogenic. However, barely 100 carcinogens are Class 1 due to the IARC’s strict criteria.

Despite decades of evidence allegedly proving the carcinogenicity of glyphosate, Ludie says, Monsanto has not acknowledged the possible risks associated with Roundup herbicide.

“In spite of this knowledge, Defendant continued to issue broad and sweeping statements suggesting that Roundup was, and is, safer than ordinary household items such as table salt, despite a lack of scientific support for the accuracy and validity of these statements and, in fact, voluminous evidence to the contrary,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit further argues that Monsanto has intentionally misled the public about the safety of glyphosate and Roundup Herbicide.

The company allegedly made false statements on their website, claiming “regulatory authorities and independent experts around the world have reviewed numerous long-term/carcinogenicity and genotoxicity studies and agree that there is no evidence that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup brand herbicides and other glyphosate-based herbicides, causes cancer, even at very high doses, and that it is not genotoxic.”

Ludie accuses Monsanto of strict liability – design defect; strict liability – failure to warn; negligence; fraud, misrepresentation, and suppression; and violation of consumer protection laws. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

The Roundup Herbicide Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 4:18-cv-00673-JAR in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

If you or a loved one developed cancer after using Roundup as a farm worker or home gardener, you may have a legal claim. Legal migrant farm workers may also seek help. Learn more by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

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