Paraquat Bellwether Trial Date Set for October
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The first paraquat trial in multidistrict litigation is now set for 2025. Judge Nancy Rosenstengel, who is overseeing the nearly 6,000 active paraquat lawsuits pending in federal court, set the bellwether trial for Oct. 14.
Bellwether trials are a key part of the MDL process and essentially serve as test cases. Their outcomes help both plaintiffs and defendants understand the likely outcome if more of the thousands of pending cases went to trial.
Bellwether trial victories for paraquat plaintiffs could encourage the defendants to agree to a settlement. Otherwise, they could risk sending more cases to trial that they may be unlikely to win.
The pending paraquat lawsuits claim that the highly toxic herbicide is tied to the development of Parkinson’s Disease. Six of these lawsuits have been selected to undergo full case-specific discovery.
In addition to the October trial, the court also set a bellwether trial date for April 6, 2026.
The discovery process will continue over the next few months in anticipation of the first trial date. Depositions are expected to be completed over the summer.
Paraquat Lawsuits Claim Herbicide Is Tied to Parkinson’s Disease
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed involving paraquat in recent years. Plaintiffs claim that manufacturers failed to warn of a higher risk of Parkinson’s Disease from exposure to the herbicide.
That connection has been explored for years. A 2011 study found that pesticides, such as paraquat, might contribute to the disease’s development.
More studies have followed in the years since, including one published last year that analyzed agricultural communities in California. This study found “further indication” that paraquat increases the risk of Parkinson’s Disease.
In addition to the Parkinson’s concerns that lawsuits have centered on, paraquat is known to be highly toxic. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even one small sip of the herbicide can be fatal, and there is no antidote.
According to the Washington Post, it is banned in 70 countries despite still being widely used in the U.S.
In October, over 40 members of Congress called for the EPA to ban paraquat.
Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.
