Dewayne Johnson used to work as a school groundskeeper. Now, some days, he can’t manage to speak as a result of the cancer he lives with. Now, despite professional expectations and diagnoses, Johnson will become the first cancer patient to go to trial against Monsanto. Johnson, like over 2,000 other cancer patients, claims the Monsanto product Roundup is responsible for his cancer. Keep reading to learn more, or follow the original story here for further information.
Johnson’s Case
Dewayne Johnson is 46. He lives in the Bay Area in California and has two children. His most recent job had him maintaining the grounds of the county school system. As the pest manager for the area Johnson is estimated to have used Roundup 20-30 times each year.
As a result of his exposure to Roundup, Johnson claims, he now suffers from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This type of cancer begins in the lymphatic system which is normally responsible for battling diseases inside the body. Tumors, which develop from white blood cells known as lymphocytes, may cause persistent fatigue, abdominal pain, and swollen lymph nodes. In Johnson’s case, he is often afflicted by lesions – sometimes covering as much as 80% of his body.
Johnson’s case went to court on June 18th. His case is being expedited as a result of his medical condition. According to doctors, Johnson should not be expected to live much longer. In California, this allows his case to be pushed through more quickly. Furthermore, Johnson’s case could provide important legal precedent for the many similar cases to follow.
Rounding Up Cancer Causes
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) described Roundup’s main ingredient, glyphosate, as a potential carcinogen to humans. The issue at play then, in lawsuits like Johnson’s, is whether or not Monsanto effectively and adequately warned Roundup users of potential cancer risks.
For their part, Monsanto maintains that there are a vast number of studies supporting the safety of glyphosate. These studies, says Monsanto, greatly outweigh the research presented by the WHO.
What’s to Come
Dewayne Johnson is not the only one filing his case against Monsanto. By some counts there are hundreds of others. Johnson’s lawyer alone reports that he is handling over 2,000 cases similar to Johnson’s. Many of these cases are being filed together in a multi-district litigation or MDL. MDLs are similar to class-action lawsuits in that pre-trial proceedings are handled all together. Each case within an MDL, however, receives it’s own individual hearing.
Currently the outcome of these cases is unclear. There are also a number of state court cases which remain to be heard. Whatever the future may hold, it is likely the Johnson’s case will hold an important place in whatever comes next.
More information regarding non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be found here.
