Louisiana Official Claims Monsanto’s Roundup Weed Killer Contributed to Lymphoma, Files Lawsuit

Published on September 18, 2018 by Sandy Liebhard

A member of the Jefferson Parish Council in Louisiana has filed a new Roundup lawsuit that blames his lymphoma diagnosis, at least in part, on years of exposure to Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weed killers.

Monsanto Roundup Lawsuit Allegations

According to a September 14^th filing in Louisiana’s 24th Judicial District Court, Chris Roberts, 41, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s follicular lymphoma in April 2006, when he was just 29. He underwent more than 30 rounds of chemotherapy before the disease went into remission in 2009.

The complaint notes that Roberts’ father worked for a Monsanto supplier in Harvey, Louisiana. Roberts also alleges that he was regularly exposed to the weed killer through in-home use, both as a child and as an adult.

“Basically there was almost never a time when Roberts was not in close proximity of Roundup … or using Roundup since the age of 15,” the complaint states.

The complaint further asserts that Roberts was diagnosed with lymphoma at a “highly unusual” young age and claims that Monsanto’s weed killers were “contributing factors” to his “grave injuries.”

Bayer Facing 8,700+ Monsanto Roundup Lawsuits

Monsanto’s Roundup is the world’s most popular weed killer.

However, in 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared glyphosate a “probable human carcinogen”.  In particular, the IARC review suggested a link between glyphosate exposure and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, including its various subtypes.

Bayer, which recently acquired Monsanto, is facing some 8,700 Roundup lawsuits filed on behalf of individuals who allegedly developed lymphoma and other cancers as a result of their exposure to glyphosate, the weed killer’s active ingredient.

First Monsanto Roundup Verdict: $289 Million Awarded to Former California Groundskeeper

In August, a San Francisco Superior Court jury awarded $289 million to a former school groundskeeper who was exposed to Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weed killers, including Roundup, 20-to-30 timers per year during his career.

Dwayne Johnson, the 46-year-old plaintiff in that case, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014 and is now considered terminal. His was the first Monsanto Roundup cancer lawsuit to go to trial anywhere in the United states.

At trial, Johnson’s attorneys cited internal company documents as proof that Monsanto was aware of glyphosate’s purported dangers as early as 1983. Company emails entered into evidence also suggested that Monsanto had insinuated itself into the decision-making process at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while the weed killer was under review.

The EPA declared glyphosate safe just last year.

The California jury returned a unanimous verdict for Johnson and his family after just 3 days of deliberations. Among other things, jurors found that Monsanto acted with malice and oppression in its handling of Roundup.