Elderly Couple’s Roundup Trial Begins Today in California

Introduction

As the first Roundup bellwether trial is still in progress before the federal jury, a separate state court trial will begin today involving claims brought by a California couple that they both developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma due to years of exposure to popular weed killer Roundup.

According to a trial brief submitted last week, the plaintiffs regularly sprayed Roundup since 1982 at their home and rental properties they managed. On average, the plaintiffs sprayed the herbicide for roughly 1,500 days in total, believing it to be a safe product as promoted by Monsanto. The lawsuit filed by the couple seeks damages from Monsanto for misleading the consumers and failing to warn about the potential hazards of glyphosate exposure from Roundup. The case was granted an expedited trial since the elderly couple is battling cancer. The jury selection for their case will begin today in the California Superior Court in Alameda County.

All Roundup cases are consolidated as part of an MDL, before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in the Northern District of California. Monsanto has been named as a defendant in more than 10,000 lawsuits in several state and federal courts in the U.S.

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