Attorneys from across the country have bombarded a California federal court with objections to a proposed more than $10 billion settlement of claims that a weed killer first brought to the market by Monsanto caused cancer, prompting a hearing delay.
As the Ninth Circuit prepares to rule on two cases involving local governments suing oil companies over climate change, legal reform groups are concerned that an onslaught of similar litigation in California could ensue if the appeals court allows the cases to go forward.
SAN FRANCISCO – On one coast, Bayer AG is fighting to reverse eye-popping jury verdicts based on a contested theory Roundup herbicide made by its Monsanto unit causes cancer. On the other, Johnson & Johnson begins hearings this week in federal court in New Jersey over its request to exclude more than 20 expert witnesses plaintiff lawyers need to prove their case that Johnson’s Baby Powder is contaminated with deadly asbestos and can cause ovarian cancer.
SAN FRANCISCO – A second attorney was sanctioned by a San Francisco federal judge on May 21 for “bad faith misconduct” stemming from her opening statements against Monsanto and its product Roundup earlier this year.
SAN FRANCISCO – This week a federal judge overseeing nation-wide litigation against Monsanto’s product Roundup appointed a prominent mediator for court-mandated settlements and set guidelines as well as future trial dates for the more than 1,300 pending multidistrict litigation (MDL) cases claiming that the herbicide causes cancer.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in a statement Tuesday that there are “no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label” and that “glyphosate is not a carcinogen.”
“There’s no risk using it less than two days or less per year. But if you used it more than two days per year, the risk goes up almost two-fold, and it’s statistically significant.”
SAN FRANCISCO – The second phase of the case of Edwin Hardeman v. Monsanto came to a close on Tuesday and the jury will now decide what damages are owed to the 70-year-old Northern California resident.
SAN FRANCISCO – In the case of Edwin Hardeman v. Monsanto, the opening phase came to a close on Tuesday afternoon with the federal jury ruling in favor of the plaintiff. While the ruling was a big win for Hardeman and a major blow to Monsanto, there was little time for reflection as the trial quickly moved on to its second phase.
After nearly a week of deliberation, a San Francisco federal jury found that the Monsanto product Roundup was a “substantial factor” in causing a Northern California man’s non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Closing arguments of the opening phase of the bellwether Monsanto Roundup trial were made after a road map was laid out to the jury by U.S. Judge Vince Chhabria of the Northern District of California.
SAN FRANCISCO – The second Monsanto Roundup case is beginning to take shape as each side continued to carefully prepare their arguments on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria slapped plaintiff's attorney Aimee Wagstaff with a $500 sanction for delving into forbidden territory in opening statements at trial involving weedkiller Roundup.
SAN FRANCISCO - Facing sanctions for conduct during opening arguments Monday in the high profile case against Monsanto's Roundup, plaintiff attorney Aimee Wagstaff is asking the judge to hold off.
A plaintiff whose claims against Monsanto got included in a mass action involving the weedkiller Roundup, wants a federal court in California to return litigation to a state court in Missouri.
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge has barred plaintiff lawyers in a bellwether case alleging a Monsanto weed killer causes cancer from introducing evidence in the initial trial that the company manipulated evidence, intimidated scientists and regulators.
SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted technology company Fitbit’s motions for sanctions and attorney’s fees against Smart Wearable Technologies Inc., noting that plaintiff Smart Wearable’s arguments were “borderline frivolous.”
LOS ANGELES – A new case initially filed in Missouri against Monsanto claiming its herbicide Roundup directly caused cancer mirrors similar ones making their way through the California courts.
