Former NFL Player Files Litigation Against Makers of Roundup Pesticide
Merril Hoge is a former NFL player and ESPN analyst. Fox News reported on August 1, 2019, that Hoge is one of the individuals suing Monsanto Co., the maker of Roundup. Monsanto has since been taken over by Bayer. Hoge along, with more than 18 thousand others, blame the popular weed killer for their cancers, and are demanding monetary compensation.
Hoge, who is now 54, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears before retiring in 1995. He was an NFL analyst for ESPN until 2017. In 2003, Hoge received a diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma. After chemotherapy, Hoge’s cancer went into remission, and he has been well ever since.
Farming Led to Roundup Exposure
Hoge’s exposure to Roundup took place during the late 1970s, approximately 26 years before his cancer diagnosis. He filed his lawsuit in May 2019 in the US District Court in Idaho. Fox News reported that the lawsuit states, Hoge “has incurred significant economic and non-economic damages due to the exposure to Roundup while working on a farm in his native Idaho, where he regularly mixed and sprayed the pesticide.”
Hoge’s attorney told USA Today that “Merril has a long history of working on farms and being around Roundup He either mixed it or sprayed it, if not on a daily basis, at least a weekly basis. He never thought anything about it.”
That changed when Hoge began to research various studies calling into question the safety of Roundup and its ingredient glyphosate. Hoge told CBS News that it was doctors who initially asked him if he had been around pesticides or weed killers. He began to put some pieces together. Hoge began to realize the extent of his exposure to Roundup; with no gloves, mask, or warnings as to its potential dangers.
Bayer Stands Its Ground Claiming Roundup is Safe
Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 along with all of the Roundup litigation against the chemical giant. In addition to the more than 18,000 roundup cases pending in US courts, 5 Canadian Roundup cases are seeking class-action certification. Bayer, in a statement to Fox News, maintains the position that glyphosate, the controversial Roundup ingredient does not cause cancer. Bayer said, “We have great sympathy for an individual with cancer, but the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides over four decades supports the conclusion that Roundup does not cause [non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma].”
Juries Award Billions to Roundup Victims
There have been a few trials thus far, and juries have ruled in favor of Roundup cancer victims. Juries have awarded huge sums of money to some plaintiffs who claim Roundup caused their cancer. More of these cases are on court calendars in the coming months.
Sources say that Bayer is considering offering a lump sum to dismiss all pending and future Roundup cancer claims.
Contact Us if You Suffer a Roundup Injury
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and have a history of exposure to Roundup or other chemical herbicides and pesticides, you might be able to file a claim to receive monetary damages. Call Alonso Krangle, LLP, lawyers taking Roundup cases. Call our experienced lawyers at 800-403-6191 today for a free evaluation of your Roundup lawsuit.