Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC: Monsanto Hit with New Roundup Cancer Suit Over Death of Texas Father
Global agribusiness Monsanto is facing yet another civil lawsuit over its signature Roundup weed killer from a Texas family that claims the world's most widely used herbicide caused their father's fatal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
HOUSTON, June 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two daughters and the surviving spouse of a man who died from an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have filed a lawsuit against Missouri-based Monsanto Company over claims that its Roundup weed killer caused the man's death. The family is being represented by Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC, a Texas-based national trial firm.
The suit (Case No 19SL-CC01644) was filed in the 21st Judicial Circuit of Missouri in St. Louis County by the surviving family members of a Texas man who used Roundup for both personal and occupational purposes between the mid-1980s and 2016. As noted in the complaint, the victim was diagnosed with high grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and died as a result of the blood cancer in March 2017.
The claim alleges Monsanto negligently, willingly, and wrongfully designed, promoted, and marketed Roundup despite knowing about the risks of glyphosate, its active herbicidal component.
Roundup & Cancer Links
The 35-page complaint filed on April 26, 2019 chronicles a decades-long history of Roundup. Monsanto, recently acquired by German conglomerate Bayer, discovered glyphosate's herbicidal properties in 1970 and began marketing the product under Roundup (and later other brand names) in 1974. By the turn of the century, glyphosate was the most popular herbicide in the world, and Monsanto its leading producer.
In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared glyphosate a probable carcinogen for humans, most associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and hematopoietic cancers such as lymphocytic lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Despite the scientific research, Monsanto continued to sell Roundup and glyphosate-based products, and has maintained they pose no cancer risks to humans.
Growing Litigation Shows Support for Families, Civil Justice
The lawsuit filed by the Texas family is one of at least 13,000 in the growing onslaught of claims brought against Monsanto by plaintiffs across the United States. Like others, it's revealing alarming and unscrupulous practices used by Monsanto – from claims that the company knowingly sold a dangerous product and actively concealed risks to evidence that it manipulated research studies, colluded with regulators, and intimidated scientists and experts to protect its interests.
Several cases have already been resolved in U.S. courts by way of massive jury verdicts that included large awards for punitive damages (amounting to billions of dollars) – a sign which, the family's attorneys say, speaks volumes about how jurors view Monsanto's conduct. As BCH attorney Aaron Heckaman notes:
"For years, Monsanto knowingly sold a dangerous and deadly product, and committed itself to incredible and carefully calculated tactics of intimidation, deceit, and concealment. The time has come for [Monsanto] to face the music, and decisions from juries thus far show they have little sympathy for corporations that put profits over people, even when they know they will pay the ultimate price."
Heckaman and the BCH legal team are seeking compensation for the family's pain and suffering and related damages, and have demanded a jury trial. The case will proceed as Monsanto continues to fight off pending lawsuits and prepare for planned appeals.
Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC represents victims and families nationwide who have been harmed by the negligent and wrongful acts of corporations. The Houston-based firm has become known for its work in civil matters involving product liability, toxic exposure, mesothelioma, and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) wage and overtime claims. Visit www.BCHLaw.com.
SOURCE Bailey Cowan Heckaman PLLC
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