Minnesotans file more lawsuits against weedkiller Roundup

(FOX 9) - Legal troubles keep mounting for the maker of the weedkiller Roundup.

Minnesotans are now joining thousands of people in filing lawsuits against Bayer, the owner of Monsanto.

These aren’t the first lawsuits filed in Minnesota against the makers of Roundup, but three more of the lawsuits have popped up in the past two days.

One of the lawyers told FOX 9 that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The three separate lawsuits have one thing in common: They claim Roundup caused their Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

“We’re alleging they knew or should’ve known about this link long ago and that they deliberately covered it up to the detriment of innocent purchasers and users of the product,” said Tony Nemo, an attorney with Meshbesher and Spence.

Nemo is a Minneapolis-based attorney representing two Minnesota clients who have filed lawsuits against Monsanto. One was filed in the fall and the other on Tuesday.

“According to Monsanto, glyphosate, the Roundup, is as safe as table salt, and so people naturally did not connect the dots when they got Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,” he added.

Two more Minnesota cases against Monsanto were filed Wednesday in federal court. They all allege the herbicide glyphosate is dangerous and cancer-causing.

The latest developments follow three cases out of California, where the plaintiffs were awarded damages totaling more than $2 billion after they used Roundup and later developed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The science behind those claims has been disputed. The EPA reaffirmed in April that glyphosate is safe. Administrator Andrew Wheeler said, “EPA has found no risks to public health from the current registered uses of glyphosate.”

Bayer, who now owns Monsanto, gave FOX 9 the following statement:

“We have great sympathy for any individual with cancer, but the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides over four decades supports the conclusion that Roundup does not cause NHL … Bayer stands behind these products and will vigorously defend them.”

Those representing the Minnesota plaintiffs say, with thousands of cases in litigation, they aren’t sure how long that defense can continue.

“They’re 0-3 and I don’t know how much longer they can go on like that,” said Nemo.