The paraquat Parkinson's lawsuit.
Research has examined whether long-term exposure to paraquat, a widely used herbicide sold under brand names such as Gramoxone, is linked to Parkinson's disease. Thousands of cases are now consolidated in federal court. If you or a loved one were affected, you may be able to request a case review.
Lawsuit Center is the intake and referral practice of David Meldofsky, a California attorney, and provides no legal advice through this site. Submitting information does not guarantee eligibility, compensation, contact, or representation.
What the paraquat lawsuit is about.
A body of research has examined whether long-term exposure to paraquat is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Plaintiffs in the paraquat litigation allege that the manufacturers, including Syngenta and Chevron, knew or should have known about this potential risk. They say the companies failed to adequately warn the workers who handled the herbicide.
The federal cases have been consolidated as multidistrict litigation (MDL 3004) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, before Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel. An MDL is not a class action: each plaintiff retains an individual case, but pretrial proceedings are coordinated before a single judge for efficiency.
Situations that often fit the claim pattern.
Eligibility for a paraquat claim depends on the exposure history, the timing of diagnosis, and the laws of your state. The following situations are the ones most often reviewed:
- Worked with paraquat or Gramoxone as a farmer, applicator, mixer, loader, or crop duster and later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
- Repeated agricultural or occupational exposure over multiple seasons or years before a Parkinson's diagnosis
- Lived or worked near treated fields and exposed to drift from paraquat spraying
- Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease years after the exposure period, which is common given the long latency
- A loved one was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after years of working around paraquat
Damages that may be recovered.
The value of any individual claim depends on the severity of the injury, the exposure history, and the laws of your state. No outcome is guaranteed. Speak with a licensed attorney as soon as possible, since statutes of limitations vary and may be short.
Medical expenses
Surgery, radiation, hospitalization, and ongoing or future treatment costs.
Lost income
Wages lost during treatment and any reduced future earning capacity.
Pain & suffering
Physical pain, emotional distress, and reduced quality of life.
Loss of consortium
Damages that may be available to a spouse for impact on the marital relationship.
Reviewing this category of claim.
David Meldofsky, a California attorney, refers paraquat case review requests to participating law firms where a firm handles them. Sponsored visibility is advertising and is not a recommendation or endorsement by Lawsuit Center. Visitors should evaluate any law firm independently before choosing to hire counsel.
Where the litigation stands.
In April 2025 Syngenta and the plaintiffs' leadership signed a letter agreement meant to resolve many of the cases in MDL 3004. Its terms have never been made public. There is no announced total, no announced range of individual payments, and no announced cutoff for who is covered. Most case-specific work in the MDL has been paused since spring 2025 while the settlement is finished.
The machinery around it keeps being built. A lien resolution administrator was appointed in February 2026. In March 2026 both sides asked the court to set up a qualified settlement fund, a court-supervised account that holds the money before payments go out. Offers to individual claimants began going out by June 2026.
A large number of people have turned those offers down. The court has recorded refusal rates above 90 percent at one firm and 100 percent at another, and Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel has had Special Master Randi Ellis meet with refusing plaintiffs and ordered discovery on a sample of their cases. If enough people keep refusing, the test trials she shelved would be expected to come back.
A second question sits with the judge. On June 25, 2026 the Supreme Court held in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell that federal pesticide law blocks state failure-to-warn claims built on an EPA-approved label. Syngenta's motion on that ground was fully briefed by September 9, 2026, and no ruling had come by early October.
The federal docket has held steady at several thousand pending cases through 2026, and new cases are still being filed. A second group of more than a thousand cases sits in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where a judge ruled in July 2026 that they stay. No paraquat case has reached a jury.
Vermont banned paraquat in May 2026. Every manufacturer cancelled its California registration by August 6, 2026, and Syngenta is closing its Huddersfield production plant. Generic paraquat stays on the United States market. None of that changes the filing deadline in your state. The running account is on Lawsuit Informer's paraquat lawsuit updates page.
Paraquat lawsuit FAQ.
What is the paraquat lawsuit about?
The paraquat lawsuit centers on a failure-to-warn allegation against the makers of paraquat, including Syngenta and Chevron. Plaintiffs say the companies never warned workers that long-term exposure to the herbicide is linked to Parkinson's disease. The federal cases are consolidated as multidistrict litigation (MDL 3004) in the Southern District of Illinois before Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel.
Who may qualify for a paraquat lawsuit?
Generally, people who had long-term exposure to paraquat, often through farm work, mixing, loading, or spraying, and were later diagnosed with Parkinson's disease may potentially qualify. Eligibility depends on the exposure history, timing of diagnosis, and the laws of the state where the claim is filed.
How do I file a paraquat lawsuit, and how long do I have?
Statutes of limitations vary by state and generally run from the date of diagnosis or the date the illness was reasonably connected to paraquat. Because of the long gap between exposure and a Parkinson's diagnosis, many people are still within their filing window, but deadlines can be short. The usual first step is to speak with a licensed attorney, who can file an individual case, often directly into MDL 3004.
Is the paraquat lawsuit a class action or an MDL?
The federal paraquat cases are consolidated as a multidistrict litigation (MDL 3004) in the Southern District of Illinois. An MDL is not the same as a class action. Each plaintiff keeps an individual case, but pretrial proceedings are coordinated before a single judge for efficiency.
What compensation may be available in a paraquat lawsuit?
Damages may include past and future medical expenses, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium. Syngenta signed a letter agreement in April 2025 meant to resolve many of the federal cases, and a qualified settlement fund was requested in March 2026. The terms have never been made public, and no payment range has been announced. Amounts depend on the specific facts of each case. No outcome is guaranteed.
What if I'm not sure which paraquat product I used?
Many people do not recall the exact product or every year of exposure. An attorney can help reconstruct a work and exposure history using employment, application, and product records. You can submit a case review request with approximate dates and details.
Request a free paraquat case review.
Tell us briefly about paraquat exposure and any Parkinson's diagnosis. David Meldofsky refers your request to participating law firms where a firm handles your category and state. Submitting does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Created by a California-licensed attorney. A submission does not guarantee eligibility, compensation, contact, or representation.