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First Paraquat trial tentatively set for Summer 2023

First Paraquat trial tentatively set for Summer 2023


Legal proceedings related to consumer products, like Paraquat, often involve thousands of plaintiffs from all over the country. This can be overwhelming for the federal court system. To accommodate the number of lawsuits filed in this type of litigation, the legal system has developed a special procedure to simplify the litigation process and resolve common issues. This procedure is known as multidistrict litigation (“MDL”). MDLs typically involve cases in which a large number of plaintiffs file lawsuits against the same company over the same issue. MDL cases are transferred to a single federal district court. That court then handles all pretrial proceedings for the lawsuits.

In this case, Paraquat litigation is part of an MDL. This means that all cases filed in federal court alleging that Paraquat exposure causes Parkinson’s Disease must be filed in the designated federal district court, which in this case is the United States District Court of the Southern District of Illinois. Once your case is filed and your Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (“PAQ”) complete, we are at the mercy of the court as to the speed with which your case will move through the legal system. The Southern District of Illinois has tentatively set the first Paraquat trial for spring of next year. Therefore, we will likely not have other substantive updates until that time.

To Our Paraquat Clients:

If you have not yet completed your PAQ, please do so as soon as possible. We previously mailed you a packet that contained a hard copy workbook of the PAQ to be completed, corresponding authorization forms to be signed, and a large return envelope with prepaid postage to send us back the completed documents. If you have not yet done so, please complete the PAQ in one of three ways:

  1. Via our online form by visiting our secure website: http://www.bit.ly/paqform
  2. Complete the previously provided workbook and send back to us with the corresponding authorization forms using the envelope provided.
  3. Call our team and complete it together over the telephone at (832) 568-7435. We expect the calls to take about 45 minutes to complete. Please review the workbook provided prior to the phone call so you can be familiar with the information needed.

After your completion of the PAQ, we may need additional information from you so that we can formally submit your PAQ and file your complaint. If so, it is important that you timely respond to all requests for information so that your case will not be in jeopardy of dismissal or delay.

We will notify you via text and/or email once your case is filed. After this, we ask that you patiently wait as your claim moves through the legal system. If you have any updates regarding your case or contact information, please call us at (832) 568-7435. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.