Paraquat lawsuit

The docket record

Full docket title: IN RE: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation. Programmatic record page: MDL 3004.

Where it stands

MDL 3004 is paused for individual case litigation while a global settlement is implemented. Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel vacated the MDL's first bellwether trial (originally set for October 14, 2025) to allow settlement talks to proceed, and a parallel state-court case in Philadelphia settled the day before it was set to open in January 2026. The parties signed a confidential Settlement Agreement dated August 4, 2025, and in March 2026 the court approved creating a Qualified Settlement Fund to hold and pay out settlement money. Not every plaintiff has accepted: reporting from mid-2026 describes large numbers of plaintiffs opting out. On June 12, 2026, Judge Rosenstengel entered Case Management Order No. 25, a "Lone Pine" order that requires any plaintiff who has not signed the settlement to meet with the court-appointed Special Master within 30 days and, if they continue to litigate, to produce sworn proof of paraquat exposure and a Parkinson's diagnosis. As of the JPML's September 1, 2026 report, 6,666 actions remained pending in the MDL. No total settlement fund amount has been made public as of this writing.

Sources: USCOURTS-jpml-1_21-F-03004 (Transfer Order, MDL No. 3004) · In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3004) … · Case Management Order No. 10, Plaintiff Assessment Questi… · Expert's Results-Driven Methodology Leads to Exclusion an…; full list at the end of this page.

What the lawsuits are about

Paraquat dichloride is a widely used restricted-use herbicide, sold in the U.S. primarily under the Syngenta brand Gramoxone. It has been registered for agricultural use since the 1960s. Plaintiffs in the litigation are farmworkers, licensed pesticide applicators, and others who allege occupational or agricultural exposure to paraquat caused them to develop Parkinson's disease. The master complaint cites studies reporting an association between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease and alleges the manufacturers knew of the risk and failed to warn users. Syngenta and Chevron deny that paraquat causes Parkinson's disease and deny liability.

On June 8, 2021 (with related transfer orders on June 17, June 21, June 24, and July 7, 2021), the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation centralized federally filed paraquat-Parkinson's cases into MDL No. 3004 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, assigning the litigation to Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel. The panel cited Illinois' standing among the top states for paraquat use and the fact that paraquat litigation was already underway in that court.

The MDL proceeded through case-specific discovery on a small group of bellwether plaintiffs. On April 17, 2024, Judge Rosenstengel excluded the plaintiffs' sole general-causation expert, statistician Martin Wells, after finding his methodology did not meet the reliability standard for scientific testimony, and entered summary judgment for the defendants in the four bellwether cases that relied on his testimony. No federal MDL bellwether case has gone to a jury verdict on the merits. Syngenta and Chevron subsequently signed a confidential settlement framework (dated August 4, 2025) covering most pending claims; the court approved a Qualified Settlement Fund in March 2026 and, through mid-2026 orders, has been managing the transition of remaining non-settling plaintiffs toward either accepting the settlement or documenting their claims for continued litigation.

Injuries named in the filings

• Parkinson's disease
• Parkinsonism / parkinsonian syndrome (as alleged in some complaints)

Principal defendants: Syngenta Crop Protection LLC; Syngenta AG; Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (former distributor, through 1986).

Sources: USCOURTS-jpml-1_21-F-03004 (Transfer Order, MDL No. 3004) · In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3004) … · Case Management Order No. 10, Plaintiff Assessment Questi… · Expert's Results-Driven Methodology Leads to Exclusion an…; full list at the end of this page.

Who the filings say qualifies

MDL 3004 does not use a public class definition; individual plaintiffs file their own suits. The court's Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), approved under Case Management Order No. 7 and implemented under Case Management Order No. 10, is the discovery document every plaintiff in the MDL must complete, and it defines what a plaintiff has to document: exposure history and a Parkinson's disease diagnosis. Case Management Order No. 25 (June 2026) adds a further documentation requirement for plaintiffs who decline the 2025 settlement framework.

• Occupational, agricultural, or other direct exposure to paraquat (e.g., as a licensed pesticide applicator, farmworker, or someone who mixed, loaded, or applied paraquat products)
• A diagnosis of Parkinson's disease or a related parkinsonian condition, made by a qualified physician, with supporting medical records
• Completion of the Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), including document requests and signed authorizations for release of medical, employment, and pesticide-use records
• For plaintiffs who have not accepted the 2025-2026 settlement framework: as of CMO 25 (June 2026), a meeting with the court-appointed Special Master within 30 days, and eventually sworn documentation and, where ordered, deposition testimony establishing exposure and diagnosis

Source: Case Management Order No. 10, Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) Implementation, In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3004 (S.D. Ill., Oct. 27, 2021).

These are the criteria in the public record, not a promise about any individual case. A law firm evaluates each case on its own facts, and limitations periods vary by state.

Key dates

1. June 8, 2021JPML centralizes federally filed paraquat-Parkinson's cases into MDL No. 3004 in the Southern District of Illinois, assigned to Chief Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel (related transfer orders followed through July 7, 2021). source
2. October 27, 2021Court enters Case Management Order No. 10, implementing the Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) and Plaintiff Fact Sheet requirements for all cases in the MDL. source
3. April 17, 2024Judge Rosenstengel excludes plaintiffs' sole general-causation expert, statistician Martin Wells, under Daubert, and grants summary judgment for the defense in the four bellwether cases relying on his testimony. source
4. August 4, 2025Syngenta, Chevron, and plaintiffs' leadership sign a confidential Settlement Agreement establishing a framework to resolve most pending paraquat-Parkinson's claims. source
5. January 1, 2026Syngenta and Chevron settle the first paraquat-Parkinson's trial to reach the eve of jury selection, a state-court case in Philadelphia, for an undisclosed amount, the day before opening statements. source
6. March 1, 2026Court approves establishing a Qualified Settlement Fund to hold and distribute money under the 2025 settlement framework. source
7. June 12, 2026Judge Rosenstengel enters Case Management Order No. 25, a "Lone Pine" order requiring plaintiffs who have not accepted the settlement to meet with the Special Master and, if they continue to litigate, document exposure and diagnosis. source
8. September 1, 2026JPML's monthly pending-actions report lists 6,666 actions pending in MDL No. 3004. source

Questions people ask

Sources: USCOURTS-jpml-1_21-F-03004 (Transfer Order, MDL No. 3004) · In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3004) … · Case Management Order No. 10, Plaintiff Assessment Questi… · Expert's Results-Driven Methodology Leads to Exclusion an…; full list at the end of this page.

Track this docket

We re-read the JPML report on the first business day of each month. Get an email when this record changes: case count, status, or a settlement development.

Sources

1. U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, “Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending,” monthly reports January 2, 2024 to September 1, 2026. Transferee court: Southern District of Illinois, Nancy J. Rosenstengel.
2. USCOURTS-jpml-1_21-F-03004 (Transfer Order, MDL No. 3004), Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation / GovInfo. Accessed September 3, 2026.
3. In re: Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3004) case page, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Accessed September 3, 2026.
4. Case Management Order No. 10, Plaintiff Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ) Implementation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Accessed September 3, 2026.
5. Expert's Results-Driven Methodology Leads to Exclusion and Summary Judgment in Paraquat MDL, Faegre Drinker (law firm analysis of April 17, 2024 order). Accessed September 3, 2026.
6. Paraquat MDL Lone Pine Order Creates New Hurdles for Nonsettling Plaintiffs, Faegre Drinker (law firm analysis of Case Management Order No. 25). Accessed September 3, 2026.
7. Syngenta settles bellwether US trial over paraquat links to Parkinson's, The New Lede. Accessed September 3, 2026.
8. Judge pressures Parkinson's patients over Syngenta paraquat settlement, The New Lede. Accessed September 3, 2026.
9. EPA moves to withdraw decision on paraquat, delays report on risks, The New Lede. Accessed September 3, 2026.
10. Paraquat Dichloride, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Accessed September 3, 2026.
11. EPA Document in Support of the Paraquat Interim Registration Review Decision; Notice of Availability, Federal Register / U.S. EPA. Accessed September 3, 2026.
12. Syngenta, Chevron Settle Paraquat Case Before 1st Philly Trial, Law360. Accessed September 3, 2026.
13. United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, Pending MDL Dockets by Actions Pending, Report Date 9/1/2026, Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Accessed September 3, 2026.

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