Roundup Cancer Lawsuit News

Judge Rules Monsanto Trials May Proceed to Court

A San Francisco Federal Judge has ruled that all of the more than 2000 lawsuits against Monsanto may proceed to court

Friday, July 13, 2018 - Thousands of farmers, landscapers, maintenance workers and other occupations whose job required using Roundup herbicide on a regular basis and have developed a rare and deadly form of cancer are suing Monsanto. Those cases against Monsanto were on hold until the other day when United States District Court Judge Vince Chhabria ruled cases blaming Roundup herbicide for causing their cancer can proceed to trial. The judge determined that internal Monsanto correspondence such as hand-written memos, emails, and other communications can be presented to a jury as evidence that Monsanto had to have known for decades that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide causes cancer in humans and did their best to cover it up. The judge also ruled that expert witnesses can present their testimony for the prosecution against Monsanto. Jurors are also free to consider punitive damages against Monsanto should the trials come to that.

One such Roundup cancer lawsuit bellwether trial is currently underway and is sure to set a precedent for all that follow. The opening argument has begun in San Francisco Federal Court for the case involving 46-year-old California school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson. Johnson is suing Monsanto and alleges that his daily use of Roundup Ready herbicide caused his cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although deathly ill, Johnson intends to testify and jurors will hear expert scientific testimony related to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup and the substance the International Agency for Cancer Research in Lyon France has branded "probably cancer-causing in humans." Allegations as to what caused Johnson's cancer will include incriminating Monsanto internal correspondence that Monsanto suppressed evidence of the risks of using Roundup. If the jury finds for Johnson they are then allowed to consider punitive damages.

Also on the side of holding Monsanto accountable for negligence and being unwilling to label bottles of Roundup as possibly cancer-causing are other countries that have followed the lead of international health agencies and banned the herbicide. Glyphosate usage is prohibited in Malta, Sri Lanka, The Netherlands, and Argentina. Germany, Italy, and France have also placed strict regulations on its usage. The International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), a division of the independent and unbiased World Health Organization determined several years ago that glyphosate definitely causes cancer in laboratory animals and, "probably causes cancer in humans." The results of the IARC's study are automatically incorporated into the State of California's list of chemical that causes cancer. Also on the side of those suing Monsanto is consumer safety advocate and son of the late US Senator Robert Kennedy who recently tweeted: "I don't think it's a surprise that after 20 years @MonsantoCo has known about the cancer-causing properties of this chemical and has tried to stop the public from knowing it."

Monsanto's attorneys point to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's findings that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, claiming that no reputable scientific study on the planet conclusively is of the opinion that glyphosate causes cancer.

Sources:

https://www.consumersafety.org/news/safety/roundup-cancer-lawsuits-proceed/

http://abc7news.com/health/opening-arguments-begin-in-roundup-lawsuit/3733407/

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Lawyers for Roundup Cancer Lawsuits

Attorneys handling Roundup cancer lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a Roundup cancer lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your Roundup cancer lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.