Former NFL player and ESPN analyst Merril Hoge has become one of the most recent plaintiffs alleging that Roundup weed killer, a popular herbicide made by Bayer-owned Monsanto, causes cancer.

Former NFL Player Sues Bayer and Monsanto

Merril, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, filed his lawsuit in July 2019 against the agricultural company after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2003. According to Merril, the company promoted false, misleading, and untrue statements regarding the safety of Roundup, and has been negligent in their duty to inform consumers of the risks associated with the product.

According to Merril’s lawsuit, he was exposed to Roundup weed killer beginning in 1977. Merril claims that as a boy, he worked on a farm in Idaho where his job duties included mixing and spraying Roundup on crops and plants. Although he claims to have followed all the safety warnings associated with using Roundup, Merril believes that his 2003 cancer diagnosis is due to this exposure. Additionally, Merril claims that his non-Hodgkin lymphoma has resulted in permanent physical pain and mental anguish. More than 18,400 other plaintiffs have also sued Monsanto regarding Roundup’s possible carcinogenic properties.

Bayer and Monsanto continue to deny that their weed killer Roundup has been linked to cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

“We have great sympathy for any individual with cancer, but the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides over four decades supports the conclusion that Roundup does not cause NHL,” Bayer wrote in a statement published in the Washington Post in July.

Roundup’s Link to Cancer

A report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015 indicated that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, may be carcinogenic to humans. Despite the WHO’s official classification of glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic,” Bayer and Monsanto continue to claim that the chemical in Roundup weed killer is harmless and safe.

Other Roundup Weed Killer Cancer Lawsuits

Thousands of lawsuits
have been filed against Bayer and Monsanto over Roundup’s alleged link to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In the handful of cases that have gone to trial, juries have sided with plaintiffs and concluded that the weedkiller is likely to be responsible for their conditions. However, many of the settlements awarded to these victims have since been slashed by judges claiming that the punishments against the corporation are extreme. To punish Monsanto, a California jury awarded $55 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages to a couple who had been diagnosed with cancer, but a judge later reduced the award to $87 million.

If you have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma following years of exposure to Roundup weed killer or other glyphosate herbicides, you may qualify to seek legal representation and file a class action lawsuit. Victims who file class action lawsuits against Bayer and Monsanto regarding Roundup may be eligible to receive compensation for medical expenses, injuries, loss of income, pain and suffering, and other damages.

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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