Merced County Roundup Lawyers
If you have used or been in contact with the herbicide product, Roundup, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Recent findings have determined that a chemical in the product, known as glyphosate, is considered carcinogenic to humans. The company who manufactures this product, Monsanto, did not warn consumers of the danger, and should be brought to justice for putting their profits above the safety of countless people.
If you or a loved one have recently been diagnosed with cancer such as Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and you believe that exposure to Roundup is to blame, our team of attorneys at The Driscoll Firm, LLC is more than willing to help. We will get you the compensation you deserve, as well as offer compassion and support in this difficult situation. Contact us at 800-900-7704 to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys and discuss the best approach for your case.
Why You Need a California Roundup Lawyer
If you work in an industry or live in an area in which Roundup is used, a confident lawyer can use their legal expertise to research and confirm that your cancer diagnosis is related to your exposure to this dangerous chemical. In addition, you will be in the best position to recover the maximum amount of compensation possible for your case with a lawyer by your side. An experienced attorney will l be assertive in protecting your rights and fighting to get you the maximum amount of compensation.
Why Choose Us?
The Driscoll Firm, LLC is a best firm to handle your case because we have extensive experience in litigating product liability cases and achieving the best results. Cases like these, which are large and complex, are comfortably in our field of expertise. Our two lead attorneys, John J. Driscoll and Chris Quinn, both have stellar track records that will give you confidence that our firm is one you can rely on and trust. After getting his law degree at the Saint Louis University School of Law, John put expertise to work by serving as an Illinois State Public Defender. Later, he served two Illinois Appellate Court Justices.
Our approach is determined by each of our clients’ individual needs and goals in their particular case. We are happy to defend all of our clients against corporations that deceive them, and we make sure to keep you consistently updated on the status of your case. We believe that we shouldn’t charge a penny from our clients unless we bring results, which is why we only work on a contingency fee basis. Until you gain your rightful compensation and justice is served, you will not have to pay us anything. We are that confident in our ability to help you.
Cases We Handle
Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world, and it is a huge source of revenue for its manufacturer, Monsanto, bringing in more than $6 billion a year. However, in 2015, it was revealed to be a potential health risk by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the toxicity of one of its ingredients, glyphosate. Cancer has been linked to exposure to glyphosate, and the types it can cause include leukemia, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Fields of work that are particularly susceptible to glyphosate exposure are farmers, gardeners, and others that involve plant care. Farmworkers are at high risk for developing NHL, and symptoms for this type of cancer include chest pain, anemia, enlarged lymph nodes, and shortness of breath. Gardening center employees are also at high risk of developing lymphoma, and some of the symptoms associated are fatigue, fever, chills, bleeding or easy bruising, severe infections, and recurring nose bleeds. Those who work as nursery employees carry more risk for developing B-cell lymphoma in particular, and the symptoms this type of cancer can cause include night sweats, chills, an enlarged spleen, pain/swelling in the head, and fever.
Extensive research has provided credibility to the claims about the dangers of Roundup. A significant piece of research was done by a division of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). After the research was concluded, they made the claim that glyphosate was “possibly carcinogenic,” and this claim was evidenced by the fact that animals got cancer after being exposed to the chemical in lab tests.
Since WHO is one of most highly regarded health organizations in the world, this claim has been taken seriously and people started realizing the truth of the inherent danger of prolonged exposure to Roundup. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently researching the effects of glyphosate further. There have also been measures taken to limit or ban the use of Roundup in many counties and states. For example, a bill passed in Hawaii bans the use of Roundup on public roads and in parks, and regulatory measures have been passed abroad as well. A bill in France has banned Roundup use in home-gardening centers.
Roundup Case Verdicts
The current likely settlement values of Roundup cases have been influenced by the massive value of the initial Roundup test cases. The first substantial verdict of a Roundup case came in August 2018. In this lawsuit, the plaintiff was a groundskeeper for a local school district in the San Francisco Bay Area. His job duties included applying Roundup to school properties regularly, and he did so for years. He was diagnosed with NHL with large cell transformation in 2015, and he became one of the first plaintiffs to file a product liability lawsuit against Monsanto three years later. A trial was held in San Francisco County which lasted for eight weeks and concluded in finding Monsanto liable. The verdict awarded $289 million in total damages, of which $250 million were punitive damages. This case was the first to bring staggering results in favor of those fighting against Monsanto’s negligence.
The next landmark case occurred in February 2019. The plaintiff and his wife from Sonoma County, California had been living on 56 acres that were once used as a refuge for exotic animals. The plaintiff had used Roundup extensively to treat poison oak, weeds, and overgrowth on the property over a long period of time. He started using Roundup on his property in the 1980s and continued to use it frequently through 2012. In February of 2015, the plaintiff was diagnosed with NHL. At trial, jury found the product to be defective, and most importantly, a factor in the plaintiff’s developing NHL. The verdict awarded $80 million in damages which included $75 million in punitive damages.
Another case, which undoubtedly brought the most staggering result, occurred in May 2019. The plaintiffs in this case were a man and his wife in their 70s who had used Roundup regularly on their property, and occasionally on other properties. The man developed large B-cell NHL, and his wife developed central nervous system lymphoma which later developed into NHL. Following a trial that lasted multiple weeks, the verdict awarded an astonishing $2.055 billion in damages, which included $2 billion in punitive damages against Monsanto. These groundbreaking cases will continue play a role in determining the global settlement value of future Roundup cases.
While future cases against Monsanto are not necessarily guaranteed to yield results as massive as the landmark cases described above, there is still opportunity for ample compensation. If a global settlement value is negotiated, there will likely be a tiered system going forward to determine the settlement value of each case. The top tier of cases will likely yield upwards of ten million, which would account for situations in which the plaintiffs have had significant exposure to Roundup, such as landscapers or others who’ve used Roundup daily over a period of years. The lower tiers would account for cases in which the plaintiffs have not used Roundup every day, or otherwise have had only moderate to minimal exposure. The next tier would likely yield a settlement value between $1-2 million. The lowest tier of Roundup cases would still yield a sizable settlement value, likely around or under $200k. It is always worth it to seek compensation and justice against corporations that neglect their duty to provide safe products to the public.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one have developed NHL cancer related to Roundup exposure in Merced County, you deserve compassion and compensation. Our team at The Driscoll Firm, LLC is ready to help you in your case, and we are determined to bring justice to the company that has misled countless consumers about the safety of their product. Contact us at 800-900-7704 to schedule a free consultation and one of our experienced attorneys can discuss the best approach to your case with you.