Attorneys representing numerous plaintiffs in multiple lawsuits filed against Swiss chemical giant Syngenta have asked a U.S. judicial panel to consolidate all of them, which suggests there are many more on the way.
At issue is the company’s weedkiller chemical paraquat, which was determined to cause Parkinson’s Disease. Plaintiffs say the noxious concoction made them gravely ill and now they want damages for their injuries.
According to reports, at least 14 different lawsuits have been filed against Syngenta by eight different law firms in six different federal courts. Consolidating them all into one, lawyers say, would help move the process along, especially if many more plaintiffs file suit.
“The cases are excellent candidates for coordinated pretrial proceedings because they arise from the same poisonous toxin causing the same crippling disease resulting from the wrongful conduct of the same three defendants,” reads a brief from the Texas-based law firm Fears Nachawati.
“Movant expects that the number of similar cases filed in state and federal courts across the country will expand rapidly.”
The motion seeks to transfer the consolidated cases to Judge Edward Chen in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California because Fears Nachawati expects that the size and scope of the overall litigation “will be significant and material in nature.”
“Very soon, there is going to be litigation in dozens of federal courts across the country,” the firm explained. Read more…
