First Roundup Trial Set To Begin on February 25, 2019

First Roundup Trial Set To Begin on February 25, 2019

Introduction

In a pretrial order submitted on October 3, 2018, the U.S. District Judge presiding over all Roundup lawsuits filed against the weed killer manufacturer Monsanto, outlined deadlines ahead of the first trial to be held in the federal litigation. The jury selection in the first case would commence on February 20, 2019, followed by the first trial which has been scheduled for February 25.

As per the order, case-specific discovery for each plaintiff will be finished by November 20, and expert discovery will be concluded by December 20. The parties are required to file any challenges to the admissibility of expert testimony and motions for summary judgment at the most by January 3, 2019.

Monsanto currently faces about 800 product liability cases filed by farmworkers, landscapers and other consumers who were allegedly diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) due to glyphosate exposure in Roundup. Similar lawsuits are consolidated as a part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 2741; In Re: Roundup Products Liability Litigation), presided over by Judge Vince Chhabria, in the U.S. District Court of  San Francisco.