Huntsville Product Liability Lawyers Handling Roundup Claims

Aggressive representation for cancer victims and their families

Roundup, a popular weed killer made by Monsanto, has been linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and fatty liver disease. If repeated exposure to Roundup, or to other glyphosate-based pesticides, has caused you harm, we want to help. The Huntsville product liability lawyers of Martin & Helms have been fighting for the rights of injury victims for more than 20 years. Contact us today to learn more.

The known dangers of using Roundup herbicides

There have been many studies confirming that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, is a possible carcinogen:

• A Swedish study. The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that a Swedish study showed that extended exposure to glyphosate increases the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). In many cases, the development of NHL takes more than 10 years.
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The IARC determined that there was a possible link between glyphosate and cancer in 2015. The “IARC concluded that there was “strong” evidence for genotoxicity, both for “pure” glyphosate and for glyphosate formulations.” The conclusions were based on reviews of more than 1,000 studies.
• The EPA. In 1985, the Environmental Protection Agency determined a possible link between glyphosate and cancer – though the EPA backtracked after input from Monsanto.

According to the Center for Food Safety, the IARC reports are more reliable than the revised EPA analysis because “IARC considered a broad range of evidence, including human epidemiology and other peer-reviewed studies, while EPA did not assess epidemiology and relied almost entirely on unpublished industry studies.”

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – the symptoms, signs and treatments

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) is a form of cancer that develops in the lymphocytes, the white blood cells that help a person’s immune system fight infections and diseases. The inability to fight diseases can lead to cancer and other disorders. If your lymph nodes are swollen, or if you experience fever, respiratory illnesses, and/or pain and swelling in your digestive tract, you should seek medical attention right away.

Per the American Cancer Society, lymphocytes can be found in:

• The spleen
• Bone marrow
• The lymph nodes
• The digestive tract
• Adenoids
• Tonsils
• The thymus

The treatments and survival rates for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma vary, depending on which cells are affected (T or B), the age of the patient, and the stage and spread of the disease. The aggressiveness of the condition also affects outcomes: some forms of NHL are slow-moving, while other forms progress rapidly. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplants.

Fatty liver disease - the signs and dangers

According to the American Liver Foundation, nearly one in four Americans are affected by non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Per their definition, “if more than 5 to 10% of the liver’s weight is fat, then it’s called a fatty liver.”

Fatty liver disease may lead to:

• Swelling (steatohepatitis)
• Scarring (cirrhosis)
• Liver cancer
• Liver failure

Research by a leading university in London found that there is evidence that exposure to low amounts of glyphosate can cause NAFLD and other liver disorders.

Filing a claim against Monsanto

If you or a loved one has developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after repeated use of glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup, you could file a product liability claim for damages. The primary focus of most of these claims is proving that products such as Roundup weed killer posed a danger to consumers, and that Monsanto failed to issue appropriate warnings about the risks of using these dangerous products.

Claimants in Roundup cases include:

• Farmers
• Agricultural workers
• Grounds crews
• Landscapers
• Homeowners who used the products on their lawns

Generally speaking, you only have 2 years to file a product liability claim in Alabama. Contact Martin & Helms to speak with an attorney about your options.

Current case decisions

Currently, there are more than 10,000 active cases against Monsanto and Bayer. The core complaint against these companies is that they knew of the dangers their Roundup weed killer could cause patients, but failed to warn consumers about the risks. Some of the verdicts include:

• An award of $2 billion to a California couple for failing to warn consumers of the risk that the use of Roundup could cause cancer.
• An award of $289 million (later reduced to $78 million) in favor of a groundskeeper in a San Francisco case.
• On March 27, 2019, another California plaintiff won an $80-million-dollar judgment for failure to include cancer warnings in the use of the Roundup weed killer.

Understand, however, that these cases do not guarantee a similar outcome for everyone who has used Roundup. Every case is different, and the law varies in each jurisdiction. That is why working with an experienced Huntsville product liability attorney is a critical factor in the success of your case. At Martin & Helms, we work with doctors, financial experts, and other applicable parties to build a case which shows the full extent of your injuries from a defective product. We present this information to the defendant’s lawyer in settlement negotiations, or to a jury during a trial, to secure the proper compensation for your lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills.

Holding Monsanto and Bayer accountable for putting profit before safety

At Martin & Helms, our experienced Huntsville product liability attorneys work to prove makers and sellers of defective products violated the state product liability laws. If you or a loved one sustained injury from using Roundup, we want to help. Please call us at 256.539.1990 or complete our contact form to set up a free evaluation of your case. We maintain offices in Huntsville and Decatur, and serve clients in Madison County, Athens, and throughout various counties in the Tennessee Valley.