EDWARDSVILLE - TorHoerman Law attorney Chad Finley, a former resident of Vermilion County and graduate of Bismarck-Henning High School, on Wednesday filed the first paraquat lawsuit in Vermilion County. The lawsuit, filed in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Vermilion County, alleges paraquat exposure caused the plaintiff, a longtime resident of Vermilion County, to develop Parkinson’s disease.
Paraquat is a popular herbicide, but studies have shown that exposure to paraquat is associated with Parkinson’s disease. Despite being banned by the EPA for use in residential areas, and banned by many countries, including China, paraquat is still frequently used in America’s rural communities. It remains one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States.
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The paraquat lawsuit, filed on behalf of plaintiff Kevin Scharlau, alleges that paraquat manufacturers, distributors, and sellers Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Syngenta AG, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP, Chevron U.S.A. Inc., and Growmark Inc. failed to warn consumers of the risks associated with paraquat, breached an implied warranty of their product, acted as a public nuisance to the state of Illinois and its residents, and violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act (815 ILCS 505/1).
According to the complaint, defendants were aware or should have been aware of the risks associated with paraquat exposure, but failed to warn consumers of these risks, putting Illinois chemical applicators and farming communities at risk.
Scharlau has been a longtime resident of Vermilion County. According to the complaint, between 1978 and 1990, Scharlau was repeatedly exposed to paraquat both during his work as an herbicide applicator and while he resided in the vicinity of farm fields where the herbicide was being applied. He was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
TorHoerman Law attorneys Chad Finley, Ken Brennan, and Tor Hoerman represent Scharlau. Chad Finley was recently appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (PEC) in the nationwide Paraquat Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 3004). The Southern District of Illinois Federal Court is presiding over the nationwide case.
Chad Finley was also a longtime resident of Vermilion County and graduated from Bismarck-Henning High School in 2004. As the son of a multi-generational farming family, Scharlau’s case hits close to home for Finley. Having grown up on a farm, Finley remembers frequently seeing herbicides and pesticides being applied to his family farm and other neighboring farms. Like Scharlau, Finley was unaware of the potential adverse health impacts that paraquat exposure could have until he became an attorney and started digging into the science.
Regarding the litigation, Finley stated, “Farming and rural communities are the backbone of America, yet they are too often mistreated and overlooked by big corporations. Farming and rural communities are too often subjected to double standards. Why should an herbicide that has been banned in many countries, including China, be permitted for use in our rural communities? Why is it acceptable for rural kids and adults to be exposed to paraquat, but too risky for people in urban and residential areas to be exposed?”
Now, Finley aspires to use this litigation to bring awareness to the chemical applicators, farmers, and rural farming communities who are exposed to paraquat of the dangers associated with the herbicide; TorHoerman Law hopes to hold manufacturers, distributors, and sellers accountable for continuing to sell paraquat, despite the known health risks, affecting hardworking individuals like Scharlau.
TorHoerman Law has filed the lawsuit in conjunction with Jim Spiros of Spiros law.
If you or a loved one was exposed to paraquat and subsequently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, you can contact TorHoerman Law or Spiros Law for a free, no-obligation case consultation. You can also visit TorHoerman Law’s website and use the chatbot for a free, instant online case evaluation.
About TorHoerman Law
TorHoerman Law is an Illinois based plaintiff’s personal injury law firm with deep-seeded ties to the rural Illinois community. At TorHoerman Law, our team of experienced legal experts specialize in a range of litigations including chemical exposure injuries and other toxic torts. Our personal injury law firm has obtained more than $4 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements. TorHoerman Law represents clients nationwide, with offices in Edwardsville, IL, Chicago, IL, and St. Louis, MO. Our firm is composed of a dedicated group of experienced professionals that share a common belief in seeking justice for individuals harmed through no fault of their own. To learn more, visit https://www.torhoermanlaw.com/.
About Chad Finley
Chad represents clients in a variety of complex cases. Chad has litigated pharmaceutical and medical product cases, environmental exposure cases, radiation exposure cases, electronic cigarette cases, and a variety of other types of personal injury matters. He specializes in complex scientific cases and is an expert in discovery (gathering information), issues surrounding electronic discovery, gathering corporate and expert trial testimony, and litigation.
Chad began working as an attorney at TorHoerman Law in 2012 and has spent his entire career as an attorney at TorHoerman Law. Chad also clerked for TorHoerman Law prior to leaving for a semester long externship at the Office of the General Counsel, Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Division (CMS) in Washington D.C.
When people or their family members are injured, Chad takes pride in being their voice in depositions and the courtroom and holding those responsible accountable for their actions and decisions.
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