Nachawati Law Group founder Majed Nachawati called on Monsanto to come forward with a global settlement of tens of thousands of cancer lawsuits following a jury’s unanimous verdict that found the company liable for a St. Louis man’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. The October 20 verdict included $1.25 million in compensatory damages.
“Time is running out for many of these cancer victims,” Mr. Nachawati said. “These individuals and their families deserve an opportunity to have their claims heard within their lifetimes. We will bring these lawsuits to courtrooms over and over until Monsanto comes to the table.”
Failure to warn about Roundup’s dangers
According to the lawsuits, Bayer Monsanto failed to warn users about the known dangers of glyphosate — Roundup’s active ingredient. Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide in history — both in the U.S. and around the world. In addition, scientific studies have linked glyphosate with increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Nachawati Law Group represents roughly 4,000 cancer victims with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma claims against Monsanto and has been active in earlier state and federal litigation that resulted in a $10.9 billion settlement.
The Missouri Judicial Circuit Court verdict was the first against Bayer/Monsanto outside of California. Jurors in the trial also heard testimony that Roundup includes dangerous ingredients beyond glyphosate, including known toxins 1,4 Dioxide, NNG, arsenic, and formaldehyde.
Delay tactics revealed
Mr. Nachawati said Monsanto is delaying justice by quietly settling individual lawsuits that its armies of defense lawyers believe are unwinnable. The company takes cases it believes are weaker to trial, such as cases in which a plaintiff’s cancer is in remission or with complicated health or lifestyle factors, he said.
“Monsanto trumpets its litigation wins but hides all of the cases it quietly settles,” Mr. Nachawati said. “Bayer has to come to the realization that they have a big liability in front of them that they have not addressed. They need to come to grips with that and be honest with their shareholders about the predicament that they’re in.”