Episode #219: Jennie Zwagerman (Monsanto v. Durnell Decision)

Okay, Ginny, so we are here today to talk about a U.S. Supreme Court decision that was recently issued in a case called Monsanto v. Jernel.

Before we actually get to that opinion, I think let's hit on just some basics so everybody's kind of on the same page.

This case really involves claims related to Roundup.

Will you tell us what Roundup is? Give us all the details, like who makes it and what's it used for and who can buy it, those type of things.

So Roundup is probably, I would say, one of our most commercially well-known pesticide and chemicals across the country, because it's one that in different forms, a lot of people have used in their own backyards, whether you're just any homeowner, whether you do any sort of landscaping or professional work, or as often we think about in the In the agricultural world, you use it as a weed killer on crops in various forms.

Roundup itself is the primary ingredient is glyphosate.

And the version that we could in the past buy at your local home store.

repair store is different than the one that professional levels would use, whether that be landscaping or agriculture.

But up until recently, it was the same glyphosate active ingredient that Monsanto produced.

really what we're talking about here is the industrial strength one.

And that is really where the bulk of the litigation that this surrounds is focused as well.

And it's been, like I said, a well-known kind of long-term use chemical used as a weed killer, both commercially and at home for consumers that Monsanto now purchased by Bayer a number of years ago, has been producing for a lot of years.

Yep.

Okay.

Tell us a little bit about the lawsuits that we've seen around the country that are related to cancer cases, allegedly it's related to cancer cases in Roundup.

Yeah, and this really started a number of years ago.

I mean, if we think about what we've heard in the news, because this has made a lot of news, that we started to see claims in state court brought against Monsanto with allegations that their longtime use of glyphosate led to the development or led to those using it, the applicators, coming down with cancer.

And that was a key component, is the argument of that cancer diagnosis or onset.

And so we've seen, particularly with various forms of lymphoma, being one of the main claims through there.

We're talking like thousands of cases all over the country, right, that have made these similar types of claims.

Yes, and I would say, last I looked, over 100,000 plaintiffs have filed various forms of litigation against Monsanto, Bayer, related to glyphosate use.

I would say not quite three-quarters of those, so maybe 60,000, 65,000 or so, have been filed I would say remain pending, but there's all sorts of different settlements out there.

There's been obviously litigation that has gone both ways.

Ones that get the most attention are those that are not in Monsanto's favor.

But I mean, we're talking a lot of money.