Today, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) ruled that the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois would be the location for the Paraquat MDL (Multidistrict Litigation). The Panel found that The Southern District of Illinois was the appropriate venue for the Paraquat litigation because, in part, Illinois ranks in the top five states in Paraquat usage. The Honorable Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel has been chosen to oversee the litigation. Since 1964, Paraquat has been used in the United States to kill broadleaf weeds and grasses before the planting or emergence of various crops, to control weeds in orchards, and to desiccate plants before harvest. As the Panel noted in their Order, the action involves common factual issues concerning the propensity of Paraquat to cause Parkinson’s Disease.
To read the transfer order in its entirety, click here.