"In the nationwide legal battle between pesticide maker Syngenta and thousands of people suffering from Parkinson’s disease that they blame on exposure to paraquat weed killer, plaintiffs are dying faster than they can get to trial, according to a court filing made this week by lawyers frustrated by repeated delays in the cases.
“A majority of bellwether plaintiffs have now died,” plaintiffs’ attorneys stated in the June 2 filing in California’s Contra Costa County Superior Court, which is overseeing coordinated proceedings for more than 400 cases against Syngenta. “Years have passed since the close of discovery for the first round of bellwether cases. It is time to move these cases toward trial expediently.”
Plaintiffs in the cases all allege that chronic exposure to paraquat caused them to develop the degenerative brain disease, and that Syngenta knew of the risks and failed to warn its customers.
Several trials have been set to start in the last two years, but in each case, Syngenta has successfully obtained delays. The company settled one large multi-plaintiff case set to go to trial in 2021 for more than $187 million. Syngenta is now trying to finalize a sweeping settlement to put an end to the litigation."
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