Los Angeles, California – – Plaintiffs who have filed lawsuits against Monsanto Co. over a carcinogenic ingredient found in the company’s herbicide, Roundup weed killer, are asking for their cases to be consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Los Angeles, California.
Over a dozen lawsuits against Monsanto have been filed nationwide within the last two weeks alone, as the number of people who claim exposure to Roundup caused them to develop a rare form of cancer, continues to grow. As of this writing, 26 Roundup cancer lawsuits have been filed across the country by 12 different law firms. Monsanto has acknowledged that it is aware of at least 200 more plaintiffs who may soon also be filing complaints.
“This could very well be the next asbestos or tobacco— there are over 70,000 people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma every year and the pervasive use of Roundup at home and at work might explain why that number continues to grow,” says R. Brent Wisner, a personal injury attorney who represents dozens of individuals who claim to have developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of exposure to Roundup.
The Roundup cancer lawsuit claims that Monsanto failed to warn consumers about glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. A number of studies have shown that exposure to glyphosate can lead to cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
According to the lawsuits, Monsanto has known about the link between glyphosate and cancer since the 1980s but failed to inform the public about the danger. Instead, Monsanto branded Roundup as being “safer than table salt” and “practically nontoxic.”
Plaintiffs in the Monsanto Roundup cases filed across the nation include farmers, agricultural workers, landscapers, and home gardeners who used Roundup regularly, believing the herbicide to be safe.
On July 29, 2016, the Los Angeles-based national personal injury law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman filed a brief on behalf of several Roundup plaintiffs who requested that their cases be consolidated in an MDL before Judge Dolly M. Gee of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
According to the filing, the cases should be consolidated because they involve the same product, the same active ingredient, the same defendant, and the same injury. Consolidation will improve efficiency, avoid conflicting rulings in multiple courts throughout the country, and allow attorneys to coordinate resources during discovery, trials, and settlements.
The number of Roundup cancer lawsuits against Monsanto has continued to grow steadily since the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) found glyphosate to be a “probable human carcinogen” in March of 2015. For its part, Monsanto continues to deny any link between Roundup and cancer.
About Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman
The law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman has successfully handled thousands of cases, securing over $1.5 billion in verdicts and settlements for their clients. The firm has defeated countless defendants, including a number of the world’s leading pharmaceutical corporations, airlines, and ground transportation companies. With over 40 years of experience handling personal injury and wrongful death cases, Baum Hedlund has developed a reputation for holding Fortune 500 companies accountable, influencing public policy, raising public awareness, and improving product safety.