How To File A Paraquat Lawsuit (2024)

Filing a legal Paraquat lawsuit can be complex and hard to navigate on your own. An experienced attorney will make everything much smoother. The following are the details of the lawsuit, eligibility criteria, payout options, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

Not anyone can file a herbicide or Paraquat lawsuit. However, a person needs to fulfill certain criteria in order to claim legal proceedings.

Filing The Lawsuit

Filling a lawsuit generally contains the following crucial steps:

For a detailed case assessment, reach out to ConsumerShield. We will facilitate a connection with an experienced attorney in this domain.

File a formal legal complaint along with claiming damages, injuries, and compensation.

On your behalf, our recommended attorneys will serve a notice of the lawsuit to the defendants, ensuring they are duly informed.

Potential Defendants

In the Paraquat exposure lawsuit, some potential defendants include the following:

First, the Paraquat manufacturers and sellers. As they can easily be held responsible for not warning others about the potential damage and risk a Paraquat exposure can cause.

The second one is the employer. If the person is exposed to Paraquat during working in a workplace, the employer can be held responsible.

Discovery And Evidence Gathering

Both sides, plaintiffs and defendants, gather the appropriate evidence to find out the truth, which may revolve around taking depositions, exchanging documents, and seeking the opinions of experts to create a potential connection between the health condition of plaintiffs and Paraquat exposure.

Negotiation And Settlement

After collecting evidence and discovery, both parties typically go through a negotiation process for a settlement. It’s not always successful and sometimes the case goes to trial. But most cases settle.

Paraquat Lawsuit Eligibility & Requirements

Paraquat exposure has impacted and risked the lives of several groups because of the people who are using it and the people living nearby. Some of these groups include the following:

Farmer And Farmworkers

Agricultural workers like farmers who specifically manage and apply the herbicide Paraquat over the fields as their job part are significantly at high exposure risk. These frameworks have direct involvement in mixing, applying, and spraying the Paraquat herbicide throughout the farm. This, however, leads to direct exposure of skin, inhalation, and ingestion of fumes and toxins.

Pesticide Applicators

People who have jobs as pesticide sprayers or applicators in the landscape, agriculture, and even crops are at higher risk of exposure to Paraquat herbicide because of their job tasks.

Resident Living Near Farms

Not only farmers or pesticides are at risk, but the people who live near the farm or landscape where Paraquat is used may also have the risk of exposure. This can cause unwanted exposure through contact or inhalation with contaminated areas.

Crop Inspectors And Laborers

People like crop laborers and inspectors who are involved in inspection, labor, and management have higher chances of getting in contact with Paraquat fields, increasing the chances of Paraquat exposure.

Custom Applicators

People who offer custom pesticide or herbicide spraying services to multiple clients or farms may have a chance of frequent Paraquat exposure.

Workers In Non-Agricultural Settings

Non-agricultural areas like industrial sites, roadways, and railways are also widely used for killing weeds. However, people living nearby or workers in charge of maintaining and applying toxic Paraquat herbicide may have a chance of exposure to it.

Children And Pets

Not only workers but the pets and children playing near Paraquat-treated areas also have greater chances of exposure due to their sensitive nature of health. Moreover, pets and children are more likely to contact the ground and floor as compared to adults, thus leading them to direct exposure to affected areas.