Monsanto’s Roundup is the highest selling and most widely used herbicide in the world. Monsanto discovered that glyphosate had herbicidal properties in the mid-1970s.
From 1974 until 2000, Monsanto was the only manufacturer of glyphosate-based herbicides, and in the year 2000, its patent on glyphosate expired.
When Bayer purchased Monsanto in 2018, it inherited its legal disputes and Roundup litigation.
Does Roundup Cause Cancer?
The answer depends on whom you ask. Many scientists and health care organizations agree that glyphosate probably does cause cancer. If you as Bayer and the Environmental Protection Agency, you will get an entirely different response.
When Roundup hit the market in the 1970s, the effect it had on humans was up for debate. Today, there are many peer-reviewed studies conducted by scientists around the world that indicate glyphosate can cause cancer.
How Are You Exposed to Roundup?
Studies have shown that exposure to Roundup is either through your skin, ingestion, or inhalation. It’s challenging to avoid exposure to Roundup because traces of glyphosate occur in about 60 percent of our food supply and 75 percent of our water and air. Crops that don’t get treatment with Roundup continue to be contaminated.
What Are the Health Problems Associated With Roundup?
While cancer is the most associated issue with Roundup and glyphosate, there are other problems and disease that exposure to Roundup can increase the risk of humans contracting. They include:
- Autism
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- ADHD
- Autoimmune Disorders including Celiac Disease
- Chronic Respiratory Illnesses
- Infertility
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Type 2 Diabetes, and more.
Studies have shown that glyphosate disrupts your body’s ability to function when it’s adequately absorbed. Additionally, Monsanto was aware of the health risks but continued to put millions of dollars into advertising.
Who Can File A Roundup Lawsuit?
If you or your loved ones had exposure to Roundup and now suffer from leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you may qualify for a Roundup cancer lawsuit.
Is There A Time Limit to File a Roundup Lawsuit?
Many states do have product liability time limits in which to file a Roundup claim. In South Carolina, you have three years from the date of the injury to file your lawsuit.
Are the Roundup Lawsuits a Class Action?
No, there isn’t a Roundup class action lawsuit. However, many of the lawsuits against Roundup have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in California.
In a multidistrict litigation matter, cases that have similar facts and arguments are put together and transferred to one court. This process goes a long way to limit costs, and encourage same results, as well as foster settlement discussions.
What Are the Roundup Lawsuits Alleging?
Many of the lawsuits are alleging that Bayer, formerly Monsanto, must produce safe products. Additionally, if they know of the potential health issues, they must disclose those issues to the public.
However, evidence indicates that Bayer knew about the danger of glyphosate for decades and failed to make that information public.
As a result, injured people are taking matters into their own hands and filing lawsuits against Bayer. While money won’t take away the injuries, it can help pay for medical expenses, lost wages, and other things. Also, juries have awarded punitive damages to punish Bayer for their unsavory practices.
Have There Been Any Resolutions in Roundup Lawsuits?
Just last year, a jury awarded $289 million to a former landscaper who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A judge later reduced the amount, down to almost $80 million.
In a Phase Two Ruling, which began after a jury found that Roundup caused cancer to the plaintiff, Hardeman, the jury ordered Monsanto to pay more than $80 million in damages.
The jury, in that case, awarded Mr. Hardeman the following:
- $75 million in punitive damages
- $5 million for past and future suffering
- $200,000 in medical expenses.
What Do All These Trials Mean?
Two different juries found that the science backing the plaintiff’s claims that glyphosate causes cancer and is a carcinogen. Additionally, two separate juries also found that Monsanto worked hard to hide the fact that it knew glyphosate could be a carcinogen.
Bayer and Monsanto’s failure to warn the public about the risks associated with the use of Roundup has put millions of people in danger. As of now, Bayer-Monsanto is facing over 13,000 cancer claims from people in the United States.
If you or a loved one had exposure to Roundup and has either lymphoma or non-Hodgkin’s disease, you should contact the South Carolina attorneys at Jeffcoat Injury and Car Accident Lawyers. Their legal team is ready to hold Bayer accountable for your financial, emotional, and physical struggles. They offer a free, no-obligation case evaluation, and will answer any questions you may have.
