On April 29, 2021, Jonathan Rutherford, a resident of Alabama filed a lawsuit in federal court in the US District Court for the Norther District of Alabama under case number: 2:21-cv-00611-RDP.
The lawsuit names defendants Syngenta Crop Protection LLC, Syngenta AG, and Chevron U.S.A. Inc. in the case caption.
Similar to the Odom case in Alabama, https://paraquatattorneys.com/new-alabama-paraquat-claim-filed-against-syngenta-alleging-herbicide-caused-parkinsons-disease/, the complaint starts off explaining what Paraquat is.
Mr. Jonathan Rutherford's complaint lays out his exposure to Paraquat which he states began in the 1970s and continued through the late 1980s. Mr. Rutherford worked on a farm in Locust Fork Alabama where paraquat was used for weed control. The plaintiff states, similar to several other lawsuits filed in the paraquat litigation, that "as a direct result" of his exposure to paraquat, he developed and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013. For more information about Paraquat Parkinson's disease lawsuits visit: paraquatattorneys.com.
Mr. Rutherford also stated in his complaint doctors never connected the exposure to Paraquat and his diagnosis, and Mr. Rutherford never encountered any information before the middle of 2021 that suggested to him that his Parkinson's disease was connected to his occupational paraquat exposure at Locust Fork.
The complaint continues to detail the corporate history of Syngenta and Chevron, and continues to recount the various exposures suffered by the plaintiff. The complaint also recites some of the studies that suggest a link between the disease and the chemical herbicide.
"I've represented crop growers for many years. I know how hard they work. I am proud to represent those impacted by this chemical herbicide. My team and I will work our hardest to fight for our clients. In my opinion, the science in this case suggests enough of a link between Parkinson's disease and the herbicide that I think our clients deserve just compensation." - Jason Reese.
To read a copy of the full complaint Rutherford vs. Syngenta.