Paraquat Lawsuit
Paraquat dichloride is one of the most acutely toxic herbicides on the market — a single sip can be fatal, and there is no antidote. Sold under brand names including Gramoxone, it is classified by the EPA as a Restricted Use Pesticide, legal only for certified applicators. It is banned in more than 30 countries, including the entire European Union, China, and Brazil, yet remained widely used on American farms for decades. In 2026, Syngenta announced it will end production of paraquat.
Why Are Paraquat Lawsuits Being Filed?
Plaintiffs allege that chronic paraquat exposure — through mixing, loading, spraying, or drift — increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease, and that Syngenta and Chevron knew of the neurological risk for decades without warning users. A frequently cited 2011 study from the Agricultural Health Study framework, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reported that people who used paraquat had roughly 2.5 times the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Paraquat labels have never carried a Parkinson’s warning. The defendants deny that paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease.
MDL 3004: A Litigation Moving Toward Resolution
Federal paraquat lawsuits are consolidated in MDL 3004 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois before Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel, with roughly 6,500 cases pending as of mid-2026 and more than 1,100 additional cases in Philadelphia state court. In April 2025, the parties signed a settlement framework intended to resolve most of the litigation. The court approved a qualified settlement fund in March 2026, canceled a trial scheduled for April 2026 in light of the pending settlement, and appointed a special master to administer the process, including meetings with plaintiffs considering opting out. Settlement terms are confidential. New cases are still being filed directly into the MDL, but this litigation is in a late, resolution-focused stage — timing matters for anyone who has not yet come forward.
Injuries in the Paraquat Litigation
The litigation centers on Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism — tremor, rigidity, slowed movement, and balance problems — diagnosed after years of occupational paraquat exposure. Because Parkinson’s can take decades to develop after exposure, many people exposed in the 1970s through the 2000s are only now being diagnosed.
Who May Qualify?
You may qualify for a free case review if you were exposed to paraquat — as a certified applicator, farm worker, agricultural employee, or someone who lived or worked near sprayed fields — and were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Work history, applicator licensing records, and your neurological diagnosis are the key evidence. Statutes of limitations vary by state and often run from the date you connected your diagnosis to paraquat, so prompt review is important.