Paraquat is an extremely powerful herbicide—commonly known as a weed killer—that farmers throughout the United States used frequently in the past. Unfortunately, recent studies have demonstrated that long-term exposure to paraquat may cause a person to suffer Parkinson’s disease and other serious complications.
Many different companies throughout the United States have manufactured paraquat, and these companies sell paraquat using several different brand names. In many instances, companies use the popular trade name Gramoxone. However, many other products use paraquat, some of which were once available throughout the country but that companies no longer sell.
Some of the most popular trade names for paraquat included Parazone, Para-Shot 3.0, Cyclone SL 2.0, Crisquar, Dexuron, Devour, Blanco, Tota-col, Garmixel, AH 501, Pillarxone, Bai Cao Ku, PP148, Ortho Paraquat CL, Esgram, Bonedry, Para-col, and Firestorm.
In addition, several manufacturers have produced herbicides that contain paraquat. Manufacturers that produced paraquat include Innvictis Crop Care, Helm Agro, Altitude Crop Innovations, Drexel Chemical Company, Syngenta, Chevron Chemical Company, Adama Group, United Phosphorus, and Sinon USA.
If you or a person you love developed Parkinson’s disease and you were exposed to Paraquat you may take legal action and pursue monetary recovery.
An experienced paraquat lawyer can help you pursue the compensation you deserve as part of a product liability claim. We will fight for your rights to recover a favorable settlement compensation, and if that is not forthcoming, litigate your case in court. There is no charge if we do not obtain a recovery.
Our legal team has recovered more than $750 million for the clients we represent. This includes monetary compensation that we have recovered in product recall and defective product cases for our clients.
We can help you pursue the compensation that you deserve for your Parkinson’s Disease and will zealously advocate for your interests during settlement negotiations, and if necessary, at a jury trial or arbitration proceeding. If a jury trial becomes necessary, we will passionately pursue a favorable verdict on your behalf.
Individuals Who Suffer Exposure to Paraquat
There are several classes of individuals who may suffer exposure to paraquat.
The individuals who have the highest risk of exposure include:
- Owners of farms
- Farmworkers
- Children who attend schools that are in the vicinity of farms that use paraquat
- Adjacent property owners
- Individuals who apply herbicides to the land using handheld applicators and sprayers.
One of the most significant dangers associated with paraquat is possible overspray and drift caused by windy conditions in the area. For example, the wind or water runoff can expose an adjacent farmer or landowner to paraquat, even though no one used or sprayed the substance directly on their land.
Potential Consequences of Prolonged Paraquat Exposure
Recent scientific studies demonstrate that long-term exposure to paraquat can result in various symptoms and illnesses, the most common of which is Parkinson’s disease. If you exhibit any of the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s, speak with a medical provider as soon as possible. Some common symptoms of the disease include palsy and shaking (even when the person’s muscles are relaxed), slow reflexes and movement, lack of balance, rigidity, and bodily stiffness.
In addition to these primary symptoms, individuals who suffer from Parkinson’s disease can also experience secondary symptoms. Secondary Parkinson’s symptoms include abruptly stopping while walking, exhibiting a bent forward posture, monotonous speech, slurred speech, small handwriting, difficulty swallowing, muscular spasms, lack of coordination, expressionless face and frequent drooling.
Paraquat exposure can lead to some or all of these symptoms because the herbicide brings about oxidative stress in a person’s brain cells. As a result, the neurons in an individual’s brain may continue to die off, significantly affecting their motor control. Once neurons die, they cannot grow back. When too many of the person’s neurons die, Parkinson’s disease symptoms will greatly increase.
If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, talk to a knowledgeable paraquat lawyer as soon as possible. Our legal team can evaluate your case to see if you’re entitled to financial compensation.
Filing a Product Liability Claim or Lawsuit Due to Paraquat Exposure
If you or a person you love is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, our legal team can file a product liability claim or lawsuit against the manufacturer. In some instances, these claims fall under a strict liability theory of recovery, while at other times an injured individual can allege the manufacturer’s negligence.
In a strict liability claim, a paraquat manufacturer can be responsible for defective design and/or for failing to warn consumers about the potential risks associated with paraquat use and exposure. When it comes to a negligence claim, a manufacturer can be responsible if the injured individual can prove that the manufacturer acted unreasonably under the circumstances. For example, the manufacturer might not have performed the necessary tests and studies to determine that their product was safe for use by members of the general public.
Under either of these theories of liability, a person who has suffered harm due to paraquat exposure might be eligible to pursue monetary compensation. Our skilled legal team can bring one of these claims on your behalf, and if necessary, litigate the case in civil court.
Pursuing a Settlement or Litigating a Paraquat Exposure Case in the Civil Court System
Victims of paraquat exposure can file a product liability claim as part of a class action. We would file a class action claim or lawsuit on behalf of similarly situated plaintiffs who have suffered injuries as a result of exposure to a defective or dangerous product.
When we file the product liability class action claim, we do so against the product manufacturer—and indirectly against the insurance company who is holding the purse strings.
When evaluating a class action claim, the insurance company will look at all medical records, bills, lost wage statements, and other documents for the injured class members. Our legal teams who are representing the class members will then negotiate with the insurance company to try and reach favorable settlement offers that fully and fairly compensate injured consumers for their illnesses or injuries.
If the parties can resolve the case through settlement, it will end at that time. Otherwise, we will file a lawsuit against the manufacturer in the court system.
The litigation process begins when the injured consumers’ lawyer files suit in the court system. At that point, the defendant manufacturer will file an answer and the parties will engage in written and oral discovery. As part of the discovery process, the defense attorney may take the injured consumers’ out-of-court depositions to find out more about their medical complications, injuries, illnesses and other potential damages.
Once discovery ends, the insurance company might be in a better position to offer more money to resolve the case through settlement. In addition, the court will typically order at least one settlement conference where the parties will come together and try to resolve the case with the court’s assistance.
If the case does not resolve at a settlement conference, the parties have the option of taking it to a jury trial or arbitration. At a jury trial, the parties present their evidence to a jury, who in turn will decide the outcome of the case. This outcome may include any damages to award the injured individuals.
An arbitration proceeding, on the other hand, is a potential alternative to a jury trial. During arbitration, the parties introduce evidence and testify before a neutral arbitrator who decides the issue of damages. In a class action claim, the arbitrator may come back with an overall award for the entire class, as well as individual awards for each plaintiff in the class action.
If you have suffered injuries as a result of exposure to paraquat, our firm: knowledgeable paraquat attorneys will be an invaluable help. Our legal team can help you decide whether you should accept a pending settlement offer or litigate the claim in the court system. Furthermore, we can assist you in court and represent you at all hearings, trials and arbitration proceedings in which you must participate throughout your case.
Monetary Compensation and Damages Available in Paraquat Exposure Cases
Victims of paraquat exposure can recover damages in a strict liability or negligence claim against the manufacturer. The extent of damages that an injured person can recover will depend upon the severity of their injuries and the cost and extent of the medical treatment they undergo. First of all, a person exposed to paraquat who suffered an illness or injury can recover compensation for all of their related medical expenses, including the cost of a surgery or other medical procedure.
If a healthcare provider determines—to a reasonable degree of medical probability—that the person may require a medical procedure in the future, the anticipated costs of that procedure may be a part of the claim. In addition, if the exposed individual had to miss time away from their workplace, they may be eligible to recover lost wage compensation.
In addition to these economic damages and other out-of-pocket costs, an injured consumer or another person who has suffered exposure to paraquat can recover non-economic damages. Those damages include compensation for inconvenience, pain and suffering, lost quality of life, loss of earning capacity, mental distress and emotional anguish related to their medical condition.
We will work hard to help you recover the monetary damages that you deserve, based upon the circumstances of your case and the extent of your illness or injury. Our legal team will pursue a favorable settlement on your behalf, or if necessary, litigate your case in court to a conclusion.
Speak to a Knowledgeable and Experienced Paraquat Lawyer About Your Legal Matter Today
If you or a person you love is diagnosed with Parkinson’s following exposure to the herbicide paraquat, get our firm: knowledgeable teams of attorneys on your side advocating for you as early on in the process as possible. Dealing with insurance companies can be a daunting task, and they will not do you any favors when it comes to offering you compensation in your product liability claim.
Fortunately, our skilled team of paraquat attorneys is ready to help you from the beginning of your case until the very end. Our team can file a claim against the manufacturer on your behalf and work to negotiate a favorable settlement that fairly compensates you for everything that you had to go through due to paraquat exposure. If the manufacturer’s insurance company will not offer you fair compensation to settle your claim, our team welcomes the opportunity to litigate your case in court and bring it to a prompt and efficient conclusion.
You might think these cases resolve easily once you show that you suffered paraquat-related injuries, but this is not usually the case. Even with your injuries, you can expect the insurance companies and manufacturers to fight tooth and nail against paying your full damages. These companies do not have sympathy for your condition or how it happened – they simply want to limit liability whenever possible.
With us on your side, you can even the playing field against insurance adjusters and large corporations. Learn about your legal rights following a paraquat injury as soon as possible.
