…. [T]he agreements, between Bayer and numerous law firms in America, don’t apply to potential class action lawsuits in Canada, said Tony Merchant, founder of Merchant Law Group.
“We don’t really know, right now, where this will lead,” Merchant said …. “We have to go forward with the certification actions that we have underway. And try to press Bayer to deal fairly with (claims) in Canada.”
Bayer has been facing thousands of legal cases in the United States, and elsewhere, where claimants said exposure to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) contributed to their development of cancer.
Bayer’s legal troubles began after the company acquired Monsanto, the maker of Roundup herbicide, in 2016. The takeover was finalized in 2018. Payments of $10.1 – $10.9 billion should resolve the majority of the lawsuits in America, Bayer said in a statement.
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In May of 2019, Merchant said his firm was trying to certify a class action suit against Bayer. The lead plaintiff in the case is Garry Gadd, a farmer from Moose Jaw, Sask. Gadd claims that exposure to glyphosate contributed to his cancer. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014.
In Canada, a judge must certify a case before it can proceed as a class action. Initially, less than 12 Canadians had joined the Merchant Law Group case.
As of late June, the number was much higher. “Slightly over 500,” Merchant said.
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