June 28, 2021 — The federal judge coordinating the proceedings for claims that Syngenta AG’s paraquat weedkillers cause Parkinson’s disease, US Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the Southern District of Illinois, announced that she was setting a jury trial date for November 15, 2022. The order was issued in an initial hearing with lawyers representing the people filing such lawsuits.
There are 157 cases pending in state and federal courts around the country according to a June 22 court filing. The central claim is that Syngenta knew of its products’ risks, but failed to warn users. The company has denied the allegations and any liability along with the other defendants, which include Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, and Chevron USA, Inc. The case number for the multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois is 3:21-md-03004-NJR.
More than 100 cases move forward, but several are in the process of settling. A “notice of settlement” was filed on June 18 in California, stating that the parties in 16 cases pending in that state had reached an agreement on settlement terms.
Reference: Gillam, Carey. “Jury Trial Date Set for Lawsuits Against Syngenta Alleging Weedkiller Causes Parkinson’s Disease • Children’s Health Defense.” Children’s Health Defense, childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/trial-date-syngenta-roundup-paraquat-parkinson-disease/.
