Syngenta Corp. is still attempting to have the Viptera GMO corn multidistrict litigation (MDL) tossed.

The Syngenta Corn MDL alleges that the leading U.S. agribusiness company tainted the U.S. corn supply and is directly to blame for the 2013 decline in corn prices.

Plaintiffs from all parts of the corn industry have filed Syngenta lawsuits, claiming they have suffered a massive loss since the decline of corn prices in 2013.

This decline, many members of the industry claim, is a direct result of Syngenta selling a certain genetically modified (GMO) strain of corn called Agrisure Viptera MIR162.

Overview of Syngenta Allegations

Multiple plaintiffs claim that Syngenta released its new strain of GMO corn prior to China’s approval, and so lost the United States corn exports to China. These plaintiffs claim that this alleged premature release of corn seed directly affected the U.S. market, costing somewhere between $1 billion and $3 billion.

China has since approved the MIR162 strain, which was originally created to have an increased resistance to certain insects known for harming corn crops. The China Viptera approval came in December 2014, although multiple plaintiffs claim this was not before Syngenta’s actions had caused significant damage to the corn industry.

Stranger Economic Loss Rule

In response, Syngenta has told a Kansas federal court that, because the agribusiness giant had no relationship to the thousands of corn industry plaintiffs involved in the Syngenta Corn MDL, the court should apply the “stranger economic loss rule.”

Syngenta claims that the stranger economic loss rule’s aim is to prevent the potential economic ripple effects from such allegations, despite the fact that there was no contractual relationship between Syngenta and the companies and farmers involved in these lawsuits.

In their attempt to have the MDL tossed, Syngenta says that the logic these plaintiffs are following would allow hundreds of thousands of corn farmers, as well as virtually everyone else in the corn industry, to sue the agribusiness, and would create a cycle of never-ending litigation.

Further, Syngenta claims, the farmers did not purchase or use Viptera, and have no relationship with Syngenta whatsoever. Therefore, the company says there is every reason to consider the situation under the stranger economic loss rule, and simply toss the MDL.

In their reply, Syngenta says that it is “not remotely in the business of providing information or services for others to rely upon,” and therefore had no legal obligation to the rest of the corn industry.

According to Syngenta’s statement, nine states had already adopted some kind of version of the stranger economic loss rule that they are trying to apply here in the Syngenta corn MDL at hand. The agribusiness urged the court to consider this rule and agree to toss the Syngenta corn MDL altogether.

Syngenta Lawsuits

Many people in the corn industry who have been affected by the corn price drop have chosen to file lawsuits or join class action lawsuits or MDLs like this one. Subsequent settlement money will, at the very least, return a portion of the dropped corn price back to the farmers who have lost money.

If you or someone you know in the corn industry has been negatively affected by Syngenta’s decision to prematurely release their Viptera MIR162 strain of corn, you may be able to join the multidistrict litigation.