Monsanto, the manufacturer of Roundup weedkiller, is the target of several thousand lawsuits alleging that their product contains cancerous chemicals. Many plaintiffs in these suits are now alleging that Monsanto purposefully engaged in misleading PR practices with the intent to minimize Roundup weedkiller dangers.
Recent lawsuits suggest that glyphosate, an active ingredient in the household spray, is actually a carcinogenic substance. The suits allege that glyphosate can cause the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in those who use the product regularly.
Bayer/Monsanto is facing thousands of suits from plaintiffs who allege that they, or their loved ones, developed lymphoma as a result of regular Roundup use at work or in the home. The jury verdicts awarded so far have reached into tens of millions of dollars. In May, one Roundup lawsuit verdict totaled over $2 billion dollars.
Failure to warn and misleading PR
Many Roundup cases, including the one that won a $2 billion verdict, assert a “failure to warn” theory against Monsanto. The failure to warn theory asserts that Monsanto knew of Roundup’s dangers–particularly the cancerous nature of glyphosate–and consciously decided not to warn consumers about the potential risks, or even engaged in conduct to purposefully mislead consumers as to the product’s safety.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch alleges that many Monsanto documents have been made public as a result of recent suits. These documents include correspondence from Monsanto officials who agreed to “minimize media coverage” of a scientifically-researched book that tied glyphosate to cancer. Other documents indicate that Bayer/Monsanto contracted with a PR firm in the hopes of minimizing and discrediting the growing concerns over glyphosate.
In a recent CNN interview, attorney R. Brent Wisner–whose clients won the $2 billion jury verdict–stated that “[i]nstead of investing in sound science, [Monsanto] invested millions in attacking science that threatened their business agenda.” Wisner asserts that Monsanto “never had any interest in finding out whether Roundup is safe”, an assertion which the jury’s verdict ultimately supported.
In spite of recent losses at trial, representatives for Monsanto still assert that there is a lack of scientific evidence tying glyphosate to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The company still does not place warning labels on Roundup to alert consumers to the potential cancer risks. This behavior has led many plaintiffs to assert that Roundup weedkiller manufacturer is still engaged in misleading PR practices.
If you or a loved one has developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma after regular Roundup use, call the Tennessee Roundup attorneys at David Randolph Smith & Associates to discuss your case.
