Roundup Investigations and Lawsuits: What You Need to Know
If you’ve developed health issues after using Roundup in your garden, it may be time for you to speak with a Maryland Roundup attorney.
Roundup has been one of the most popular weed-killing products used across the United States for decades. The product is a broad-spectrum herbicide that serves to kill weeds that threaten healthy crop growth.
In recent years, however, lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto (the creator of Roundup) due to findings that the spray’s active ingredient, glyphosate, is causing health problems—particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and other forms of cancer.
If you have come into contact with Roundup and have been diagnosed with NHL, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Our firm is currently accepting and investigating new cases, and we’re offering free initial consultations to anyone in Maryland who may have been affected by this problem.
Current Investigations
The World Health Organization’s cancer research agency has categorized Roundup as a “probable human carcinogen,” with studies having linked it to the development of NHL as well as other medical problems, such as leukemia and myeloma.
Not every probe into the problems surrounding Roundup has reached the same conclusion, though. Following the World Health Organization’s categorization of glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a study on the compound, taking “a significantly more extensive and relevant dataset” into consideration than the WHO.
The EPA concluded that glyphosate was not a probable human carcinogen. Further, it found that Roundup did not pose any risk to human health when used as directed on the label.
The agency noted that its findings were similar to those reached by other regulatory bodies around the world, including the European Food Safety Authority, the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory Agency, and the Food Safety Commission of Japan.
Lawsuits Against Monsanto
Despite the uncertainty over whether or not Roundup is carcinogenic, there has been successful legal action against its manufacturer over its alleged cancer-causing properties.
Dewayne Johnson was a groundskeeper for a California school district who used Roundup between 20 and 30 times a year. On two occasions, he spilled a large amount of the liquid on his person accidentally, with the first of these incidents occurring in 2012. In 2014, Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
In 2018, as Johnson was dying from his cancer, a California court ruled that Monsanto was liable for his sickness and awarded him $289 million in damages (this was later reduced to just over $20 million on appeal).
Although Johnson’s legal team could not prove Roundup was the reason for his illness, it was also impossible for Monsanto to prove the opposite. In order to succeed in the case, his attorneys just had to convince the court that Roundup had been a substantial contributing factor to his cancer.
Remember, civil cases (personal injury lawsuits) require a lower standard of proof than criminal trials, where there must be no reasonable doubt about a defendant’s guilt in order for them to be convicted. In a civil case, the court considers the balance of probabilities; so, if the plaintiff’s version of events appears more plausible than the defendant’s, the lawsuit will succeed.
Johnson’s success paved the way for a large number of similar lawsuits involving plaintiffs with NHL and other cancers who believe Roundup contributed to their illnesses. In the biggest verdict of this type so far, Pennsylvania man John McKivison was awarded $2.25 billion in February 2024 after developing a rare type of cancer (this award may yet be reduced on appeal).
McKivison is the fifth plaintiff to secure a court verdict like this in the U.S.
Outstanding Class Actions and Multi-District Litigation
Bayer (Monsanto’s parent company) has agreed to pay close to $11 billion in settlements because of cancers allegedly related to Roundup. However, there are still tens of thousands of outstanding Roundup lawsuits against Bayer at the time of writing.
A multi-district litigation (MDL) in California currently contains over 4,200 unsettled cases with ongoing trials. Bayer offered to pay $2 billion to settle a number of class action claims in 2021, but a federal judge rejected the offer on the grounds that the amount was not sufficient to pay all the cancer victims that would eventually come forward.
Because of the massive number of plaintiffs that have filed suits like this (and that could yet file in the future), these actions have been organized into class actions and multi-district litigation.
Class actions are single lawsuits with a large number of plaintiffs; when a class action reaches a settlement or verdict, plaintiffs share the proceeds. For this reason, it’s only possible to proceed with a class action when every plaintiff’s set of circumstances is relatively similar.
Multi-district litigation, on the other hand, involves separate but similar lawsuits. These are consolidated at the pretrial stage before being sent back to their original district courts. Sometimes, the court in charge of the multi-district litigation will hold a small number of “bellwether” trials, which can show how the other cases are likely to unfold.
Who’s at Risk?
Anybody who has come into contact with the harmful ingredients in Roundup could be at risk of developing NHL, leukemia, or other related health problems. However, current research has found that those most likely to suffer these adverse effects are farmers, landscapers, and commercial gardeners who have used the commercial-grade (strongest formula) of Roundup in the past.
Still, even those who have used weaker formulas of the chemical could be at risk. Even if you cannot recall having ever used the product on your own lawn, it is possible that you may have eaten foods that could have contained trace amounts of the weed killer. This is possible in cases where crops were contaminated by small amounts of the weed killer before being consumed by humans.
More About Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that is caused by exposure to certain chemicals, such as the glyphosate found in Roundup. This type of cancer attacks white blood cells and weakens the immune system. Most often, this type of cancer develops in the lymph nodes, although it can be present in other areas of the body as well.
Some of the most common symptoms of NHL include swollen lymph nodes, sudden weight loss, night sweats, and ongoing fatigue. Many people with this type of cancer also experience coughing, breathing problems, and/or chest pain. NHL is treatable, but the specific course of treatment can vary greatly depending on the severity of the cancer and how far it has spread.
In some cases, doctors decide to hold off on treatment until it becomes medically necessary. However, for those patients whose cancer has spread, swift and aggressive treatment may be necessary.
Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for NHL, though radiation therapy is also commonly used. In some cases, a stem cell transplant may be a patient’s best treatment option, and medications specifically formulated to help strengthen the immune system can also be helpful during treatment.
Punitive Damages
In personal injury cases, there are various types of damages to which plaintiffs may be entitled. Economic damages cover the financial costs associated with injuries (such as medical bills and lost wages), while noneconomic damages cover things like physical pain and emotional suffering.
Punitive damages, on the other hand, don’t compensate plaintiffs for losses they’ve suffered, but punish defendants for particularly egregious behavior. For this reason, they’re not available in most personal injury cases; however, juries have been willing to hand them out in Roundup cases.
For example, in John McKivison’s case, the jury awarded $2 billion in punitive damages, a figure that made up the vast majority of the verdict.
If you’d like to learn more about whether punitive damages might be a possibility for you, you should schedule a free initial consultation with our Maryland Roundup lawyer.
When to Speak to a Maryland Roundup Attorney
If you have been diagnosed with NHL, leukemia, or another type of cancer, and you believe it may have been caused by exposure to Roundup, then you could have the grounds for a lawsuit. The same applies if a loved one has recently passed away as a result of one of these diseases. It is possible that you could receive compensation for your damages, including medical treatments, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. However, you should not put off setting up a case evaluation as statutes of limitation (deadlines) do apply.
If you believe you’ve become unwell because of Roundup or a similar product, we encourage you to set up an appointment with our Maryland Roundup lawyer today so we can begin gathering the details of your case and providing you with legal guidance.
We will work to protect your rights and keep your best interests in mind as we seek damages from the responsible parties in your case. Arrange a free initial consultation with us today by calling (410) 625-4878, or by using our online form.
Attorney Steve Heisler
Steve Heisler decided in 1996 that he was going to focus his law practice exclusively on injury cases. Since then, he has been representing injured people against insurance companies, disreputable medical practitioners and Big Pharma, and doing it with compassion, honesty and level-headed rationality. [ Attorney Bio ]
