Paraquat Lawsuit Attorneys
If you were exposed to the herbicide weed killer, Paraquat, and have now been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, please contact the attorneys at Allen & Nolte today. Our law firm represents those who have been affected by this dangerous herbicide chemical. We are here to help you and your family by recovering the financial compensation for your illness that impacted your life.
California Paraquat Lawsuits
In California, lawsuits have been filed claiming harm from exposure to the Paraquat herbicide. The Paraquat weed killer is applied from spraying vehicles such as tractors, airplanes or helicopters. The filed lawsuits allege that long-term exposure to Paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease in agricultural workers as well as resident who live near fields where the chemical is applied.
California’s Judicial Counsel has assigned the California Judicial Coordination case number JCCP 5031 allowing multiple California county lawsuit filings to consolidate into Contra Costa County. Over the past 50 years, cases have been filed against the sellers and makers of the Paraquat herbicide.
Paraquat legal claims have been filed against Syngenta and other companies. Since 1964, these companies have been responsible for the manufacturing, distributing, marketing, licensing and selling of Paraquat in California and other states. Through the lawsuit allegations, the companies are liable for the following causes of actions:
- Strict Products Liability – the companies marketed a defectively-designed product and failed to warn the public of the risk of neurological damage caused by exposure to Paraquat.
- Negligence – the neurological risks of Paraquat use were reasonably foreseeable; the companies had the responsibility to protect people in the communities where Paraquat was used from those risks or eliminate those risks through proper warnings or instruction but failed to do so.
- Public Nuisance – the companies knew or should have known that the manner in which Paraquat was used would be harmful to the general public.
- California Consumer Legal Remedies Act – the companies had actual or constructive knowledge of Paraquat’s risks but used unfair business practices with consumers, including concealing, suppressing, or failure to disclose the inadequate research and testing performed.
- Breach of Implied Warranty of Merchantability – the Paraquat used was not fit for its ordinary purposes.
WHAT IS PARAQUAT? HOW IS PARAQUAT UTILIZED?
- Paraquat is a highly toxic chemical used as an herbicide or weed killer. First sold in the United States in the early 1960s, Paraquat was used by the United States government and DEA in aerial attacks on Mexican heroin poppy and marijuana fields in the 1970s. It is a “non-selective” herbicide, which means it kills all green leafy plants on contact.
- Paraquat was first used and marketed for use as an agricultural tool for killing weeds or for processing crops that do not rely on their leafy parts, like cotton and almonds. The Swiss company, Syngenta, began selling Paraquat in the United States. Paraquat has been sold under many brand names including “Ortho,” “Ortho Plus,” and “Gramoxone.” To this day, Syngenta continues to sell Paraquat to American farmers.
- Even though it is banned in 32 countries, the American agriculture industry continues to use Paraquat. It has been on the banned substances list in England and throughout the European Union since 2013. While Paraquat was produced by Swiss industrial giant manufacturer, Syngenta, the herbicide has been banned in Switzerland since 1989. Chinese chemical giant, ChemChina, purchased Syngenta and announced in 2012 that it was eliminating domestic use of Paraquat to “safeguard people’s lives.” All of China’s production is now exported.
- In the U.S., Paraquat has been used as an alternative to Monsanto’s Roundup. As weeds and pests became more resistant to Monsanto’s Roundup, farmers turned to alternative herbicides to treat their crops.
- All Paraquat products are Restricted Use Pesticides (RUPs), meaning only licensed applicators are able to purchase and use the herbicide. All applicators must be “licensed in accordance with EPA regulations and state, territorial and tribal laws.”
Paraquat Use In The United States - Who Is Most At Risk of Exposure?
- Despite its ban across the world, Paraquat use in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years. Overall usage of Paraquat, or the “estimated annual agricultural pesticide use”, has more than doubled from 2011 to 2017 (from over 3 million kilograms to close to 7 million kilograms annually). People who work with Paraquat or live near areas where it is used heavily remain most at risk of exposure to it – specifically licensed applicators such as farmers or other agricultural workers, farmworkers, farm residents, and farm neighbors.
- More Paraquat is used in California than in any other state in the U.S., especially in the Central Valley, Central Coast and greater Sacramento regions. In fact, almost 2 million more kilograms of the herbicide has been applied in California than in the next closest state – Texas – and nearly 6 million more than the third-highest state, North Carolina.
Estimated Paraquat Use: Top California Counties
WHY SHOULD I FILE A LAWSUIT?
A Paraquat lawsuit can aid you or your loved one by recovering compensation for the injuries and financial damages you have suffered. Depending upon your circumstances, this can include:
- Past and future medical expenses for treatment, equipment, nursing services, medication and monitoring
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
- Pain and sufferingLoss of consortium
- Funeral expenses, if the exposure led to the death of a loved one.
We understand that Parkinson’s Disease typically comes with significant lifetime costs, especially if the patient’s diagnosis comes at an early stage in life. At Allen & Nolte, our law firm holds manufacturers and corporations accountable for the damages caused by dangerous chemicals like Paraquat. Filing a civil lawsuit is the first step in helping you and your family.
CONTACT A CALIFORNIA PARAQUAT ATTORNEY TODAY!
If you have been exposed to Paraquat and developed Parkinson’s Disease or signs of ongoing developing Parkinson’s, you may have legal rights that have been violated. The law firm of Allen & Nolte offers a free consultation and will answer all of your questions. Contact us now for your free case consultation.
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