Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.a. Files Multi-state Lawsuits Against Makers of Paraquat-herbicide Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

MULTI-STATE LAWSUITS FILED TODAY AGAINST MAKERS OF PARAQUAT – HERBICIDE LINKED TO PARKINSON’S DISEASE – BY TEAM OF ATTORNEYS FROM DICELLO LEVITT GUTZLER, SALTZ  MONGELUZZI & BENDESKY, AND SEARCY LAW

PHILADELPHIA, PA (April 30, 2021) – Six lawsuits were filed today in federal courts across three states – Pennsylvania, California and Illinois  – alleging a link between Paraquat, the widely-banned herbicide, and incurable Parkinson’s disease. The lawsuits include the first cases filed in the Pennsylvania courts, which are expected is to be heavily involved in upcoming paraquat litigation. The Complaints were jointly filed by a team of leading national toxic torts attorneys from  DiCello Levitt Guntzler (“DLG”), Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky, P.C. (“SMB”) and  Searcy Denney. Today also marks the last day of Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

Mark DiCello, of Midwest-based DiCello Levitt Gutzler, and frequent lead plaintiff’s counsel in pivotal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in a wide range of mass tort and product liability cases, said today’s simultaneous filings signal a significant milestone in the rapidly increasing Paraquat-Parkinson’s disease litigation as “three of the nation’s leading catastrophic injury and mass tort firms join forces in the fight against the manufacturers and marketers of Paraquat who have long known they were peddling this poison. They must be held accountable through the American justice system.” He added, “Our firms have collectively been retained by several hundred clients to date; we’ll be seeking a leadership seat at the litigation table, and strongly believe the science is conclusively on the side of the plaintiffs.”

Jeffrey P. Goodman, a partner at SMB added “These filings are only the tip of the iceberg with what is expected to be the next major mass tort.  The manufacturers of paraquat knew for decades that their product was linked to Parkinson’s disease yet chose to hide this information from regulators and the public.”

Lawrence R. Cohan, also an SMB partner, heads the firm’s mass torts practice and commented “We are honored to file the first Pennsylvania-Paraquat cases today to obtain justice for our current and future clients who unknowingly were exposed to this hazardous agricultural chemical – banned in more than 32 countries, among them China and the European Union nations,” said Mr. Cohan, who has successfully litigated against global producers of toxic products over his career.

Co-counsel Cal Warriner, of West Palm, Florida-based Searcy Denney, has also served in a plaintiff’s leadership role in numerous other mass tort cases, and did not hesitate to join the group in the fight for justice. He said, “We are honored to be a part of this distinguished team of nationally recognized trial lawyers. Our clients need and deserve a strong voice to underscore the injustice they’ve been dealt. To be stricken with such a horrible disease from an innocent workplace exposure is very sad. We are ready to fight for them.”