RoundUp

Roundup Weed Killer

The attorneys of Levy Baldante Finney & Rubenstein are representing individuals that have been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or leukemia and used Roundup Weed Killer. Roundup is the brand name of a systemic, broad-spectrum glyphosate-based herbicide originally produced by Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the United States. Roundup is popular both among homeowners for house yard work, as well as, for commercial use by many businesses to kill weeds that would damage their crops. Roundup is also used by gardeners, landscapers, farmers, golf courses and others to prevent unwanted weeds from growing on their properties. In 2015, The World Health Organization (WHO)’s cancer arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), classified glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup in Group 2A, “probably carcinogenic to humans.” It also stated that there was “limited evidence” that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After the IARC classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic” to humans in 2015, many state and federal lawsuits were filed in the United States. Early on, over 300 of these lawsuits were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation called In re: Roundup Products Liability. In 2017, California environmental regulators listed glyphosate as “known to the state to cause cancer.” In January 2019, Costco decided to stop carrying Roundup or other glyphosate-based herbicides. Roundup 360 was banned in France in January 2019. In March 2019, a man was awarded $80 million in a lawsuit claiming Roundup was a substantial factor in his cancer. On May 13, 2019, a jury in California ordered Bayer to pay a couple $2 billion in damages after finding that the company had failed to adequately inform consumers of the possible carcinogenicity of Roundup. As of October 30, 2019, there were over 42,000 plaintiffs who said that glyphosate herbicides caused their cancer. In a 2003 internal email, a Monsanto toxicologist wrote, “you cannot say that Roundup is not a carcinogen…we have not done the necessary testing on the formulation to make that statement. The testing on the formulations are not anywhere near the level of the active ingredient. We can make that statement about glyphosate and can infer that there is no reason to believe that Roundup would cause cancer.” In a 2002 email also obtained as part of discovery in a court case, a Monsanto scientist wrote to a colleague, “we are in pretty good shape with glyphosate but vulnerable with surfactants. What I’ve been hearing from you is that this continues to be the case with these studies – Glyphosate is OK but the formulated product (and thus the surfactant) does the damage.” On January 20, 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that the latest case was postponed indefinitely to allow room for settlement talks to continue. The article noted that analysts had estimated any settlement would be in the $8 billion to $12 billion range. Court-appointed mediator Ken Feinberg said he was “cautiously optimistic” a deal could be struck in the coming weeks.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or leukemia and used Roundup Weed Killer, please immediately call the attorneys of Levy Baldante Finney & Rubenstein so that we can provide a free consultation with you, properly investigate your claim, and obtain justice for you from the responsible party.