Itโs big business in the US and elsewhere, with lawyers making a fortune out of class actions. The process is described as predatort. The playbook has four steps: pay scientists to create your evidence, pay activists to create public outrage, create drama on the court room stage and collect US$200 million. That all sounds familiar.
In the recent case in the US a team of lawyers fronted up to prove that paraquat, a rival product of glyphosate, caused Parkinsonโs.
They had an โexpert witnessโ, a Professor Martin Wells from prestigious Cornell University. They formed an Environmental Working Group to expose the problem. Headlines mysteriously appeared claiming โwe all know what causes Parkinsonโs and these companies will have to pay for itโ.
The โexpert witnessโ, Wells, claimed that โoccupational exposure to paraquat can cause Parkinsons diseaseโ.
Surprisingly, given past experience, the judge decided to question the so-called science.
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Sheย suggestedย that Wells only presented data to support his conclusion and that the research wasnโt credible, and that the evidence lacked scientific rigour. That the criteria for occupational exposure had not been met. She added that the claim that occupational exposure to paraquat resulted in a โnear tripling of Parkinsonโs diseaseโ was unproven.
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The case was thrown out, which was a victory for common sense. There was a judge who decided to question the science. Many donโt, which would, in itself, make manufacturers nervous.
