Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Hold Press Conference on Prop 65 Monsanto Lawsuit
FRESNO, Calif., Jan. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Prominent environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Michael L. Baum of the law firm of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman and some of their California Roundup cancer clients are scheduled to hold a press conference in Fresno, California on Jan. 27 in support of the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), which has been named in a lawsuit by Monsanto over the state's decision to list glyphosate as a Proposition 65 chemical known to cause cancer.
Arturo S. Rodriguez, president of the United Farm Workers, will also speak at the press conference in support of protecting farmworkers from harmful pesticides.
A hearing in Monsanto v. OEHHA is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. PST at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse with the press conference to follow at Noon PST.
On Sept. 4, 2015, OEHHA issued a notice of intent to list glyphosate as a chemical known to the state to cause cancer in accordance with Prop 65. OEHHA issued the notice of intent months after the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate, a key ingredient in Monsanto's blockbuster herbicide, Roundup, as a "probable human carcinogen."
In an effort to stop glyphosate from being listed as a Prop 65 chemical, Monsanto filed suit against OEHHA on Jan. 21, 2016, claiming that the listing mechanism the agency uses when chemicals or substances are added to the state of California's Prop 65 list is unconstitutional, as it cedes regulatory authority to an "unelected and non-transparent foreign body."
OEHHA denies Monsanto's claim and asserts that the agency's listing mechanism "simply provides a way for OEHHA to make the most of scarce resources."
OEHHA filed a motion to dismiss Monsanto's lawsuit and the Jan. 27 hearing will give both sides of the issue a chance to make their arguments before the judge decides whether to dismiss the case or allow it to proceed.
Following the hearing, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Baum and a number of their California clients will discuss the implications of Monsanto v. OEHHA as well as related litigation against Monsanto involving hundreds of farmers, agricultural workers, gardeners and others who claim that exposure to Roundup caused them to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Learn more about the Monsanto litigation and press conference.
SOURCE Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman
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