Summary
The general herbicide “Roundup” has been used in gardening, grounds keeping, and agriculture industries for over 40 years. Since the late 1980’s continued research has shown that the main ingredient, glyphosate, has a strong link to cancer in humans, specifically Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The exposure of these findings and the widespread use of this particularly dangerous herbicide has unleashed a litany of different litigation, settlements and class action claims. Turnbull, Holcomb & LeMoine are capable and experienced attorneys who can take Roundup lawsuits the full distance to a jury trial. If you aren’t satisfied with the Roundup Class Action Settlement, you can opt out and pursue your claim. Contact us now for a free consultation and evaluation of your case.
What is Roundup?
Roundup is a general herbicide (weed killer) patented and sold by Monsanto (later acquired by Bayer, AG), which has been in widespread use for over 40 years. Upon the launch of the Roundup, Monsanto used many tactics to market the safety of the product by stating that Roundup was “safe enough to drink” and “safer than table salt”. Although the effectiveness of Roundup as a weed killer has rarely been questioned, questions about Roundup’s safety, and Monsanto’s bold and misleading claims about its safety have been raised since the mid 1980’s.
Why is Roundup use so widespread?
Roundup’s hold on the market and the rise of its widespread use was a direct result of its efficacy in the agricultural industry, which the product obtained by working in conjunction with specialized “GMO” crops that are produced using seeds also sold and marketed by Monsanto. Monsanto’s “GMO” seeds produce what are known as “Roundup Ready Crops”. These genetically modified seeds and crops are created to be resistant to glyphosate, allowing farmers and agricultural workers to blanket fields and crops with Roundup and preventing the herbicide from affecting the target crop. The GMO crops’ resistance to glyphosate reduced the work a farmer might have to do to prepare a crop after harvest and before the next season. Because the combination of Roundup and GMO crops has proven to be effective as an herbicide, and since it raised the bottom line of many in the agricultural industry, Roundup has become the most widely used agricultural product in the world. Due to the level of acceptance Roundup has gained in the agricultural marketplace, many within that marketplace had a strong financial incentive to downplay and push against the growing acknowledgment within the scientific community of Roundup’s potential risks and health hazards.
Roundup and Cancer
A significant amount of research has been conducted since the mid 1980’s to establish a link between use and exposure to Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, and cancer in humans, more specifically Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). Monsanto and their parent company, Bayer AG, have continued to maintain that no such link exists, and that their Roundup products are completely safe for use. These varying opinions in the midst of many highly publicized lawsuits and the rise of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma among people exposed to Roundup, serve as the platform for Roundup mass tort cases and thousands of existing and potential lawsuits against Monsanto and Bayer AG.
Who is affected?
After mainstream acceptance of Roundup as an effective herbicide, its use spread into every possible area where weed control was necessary. This meant that groundskeepers, landscapers, gardeners, maintenance workers and even hobbyists and do-it-yourselfers put themselves at risk through exposure to Roundup and glyphosate. In fact, because these other occupations do not have the benefit of large scale agricultural equipment to apply the chemical, they are often the people who are at the most risk of overexposure and the potential for health problems. In fact, the first trial of the many Roundup lawsuits against Monsanto concerned Dewayne Lee Johnson, who was a school groundskeeper from California that used Roundup with a sprayer as a regular part of his job.
Monsanto’s Liability
In the first trial against Monsanto, it was revealed that they had engaged in discussions concerning “ghostwriting” scientific papers, a process by which scientific documentation is generated and published by the actions of the company itself in order to discredit other organizations who had concluded that Roundup and glyphosate are harmful and carcinogenic. A number of other questionable practices by Monsanto have been revealed and bring to light a new level of culpability in the fight for justice and compensation to those affected by the brazen disregard for victims who are suffering as a result of exposure to a product Monsanto has deceptively touted as safe for humans.
Roundup Lawsuits & Mass Tort Litigation
Since the initial trial involving Dewayne Lee Johnson, a cavalcade of legal action has begun to mount against Monsanto and Bayer AG, including trials, settlements, and class action suits, many of which are yet to be filed or are still pending. Ultimately, the fight and pursuit of justice rests in the hands of the courts, plaintiffs and the plaintiff attorneys like Turnbull, Holcomb & LeMoine who can stand up to a corporation like Monsanto. Monsanto, of course, has extensive resources and no intention of admitting wrongdoing or paying what these claims are worth to the victims. The varying suits that are in progress and victims who have yet to come forward have a number of options to consider when thinking about an acceptable outcome for their case. A claimant could join a class action suit, opt-out of a class action settlement and/or launch their own suit in hopes to litigate or take the case to trial. When you are a claimant or an attorney representing a client whose desired outcome is to litigate their case and take it to trial, it is imperative that a law firm and attorney with the resources, experience, and capability to litigate the claim is selected carefully.
Turnbull, Holcomb & Moak Roundup Lawsuits & Litigation
Turnbull, Holcomb & LeMoine is a top choice when you have a client involved in a Roundup lawsuit who wants to litigate their claim, and we do so with the full intention of trying the case in front of a jury to maximize a settlement for compensatory and punitive damages. In litigating complex cases against a defendant such as Monsanto, the size and scope of the case become enormous and you need a law firm with the resources, endurance and dedication to ensure a successful outcome. In similar cases against Monsanto it has been shown that dozens of depositions have been taken, each with hundreds of hours of preparation, and in one case, Monsanto disclosed over 10 million documents. Turnbull, Holcomb & LeMoine have the resources to dedicate to pouring through all of this data and effectively applying the necessary facts to the case, which is a monumental task.
Our Qualifications
At Turnbull, Holcomb & LeMoine, we are recognized as a national law firm and are licensed in over 8 states. Our reputation speaks for itself, and we are known for our enduring resolve to take cases to trial that other attorneys simply did not have the capabilities and resources for. Numerous trials with successful outcomes and regular trial awards exceeding our clients’ expectations, we regularly push the bar higher in our efforts to bring justice to plaintiffs who need the best representation at trial. Preparation is the name of the game when we appear in the courtroom at trial. We focus on strategic structuring of trial arguments, in-depth witness preparation, comprehensive jury research, case strategies built through focus groups and mock trials and have a reputation for winning against deep pocketed corporations like Monsanto. We offer regular communication and case updates to parties of interest, competitive fee agreements and are committed to maximizing results.
What’s next?
If you are an attorney who is currently representing a client who wants to further litigate their claim against Monsanto and take it to trial, then you are in the right place. If your client has decided to opt-out of a class action settlement, your search ends here. Simply call us at (888) 488-9616 or contact us on our website to schedule a free and confidential consultation with a highly qualified trial attorney to discuss how we can help and take your case to the next level.
