Today, a federal jury in Kansas City, Kansas ordered Syngenta, an agribusiness giant, to pay nearly $218 million to more than 7,000 Kansas farmers over its decision to commercialize a genetically modified strain of corn before China approved it. When Chinese officials began refusing U.S. corn shipments in approximately 2013, corn prices plummeted causing catastrophic damage to the corn farmers. Specifically, the farmers argued that Syngenta rushed its GMO seed to market and provided misleading statements about when the GMO seeds were to be approved by China. The subsequent rejection of U.S. corn shipments depressed corn prices for years as China continued to buy from other countries.
This was the first bellwether trial to go to verdict. Bellwether cases/trials are actual cases selected from the pool of cases that the Court allows to proceed to trial. They allow the attorneys and the Court to see how juries react & provide guidance for how future litigation might turn out. In April, a bellwether trial started in Minneapolis, but a mistrial was declared on only the second day of trial. The trial has now been reset for next month in Minnesota.
Attorney Pamela A. Borgess, the founder of Borgess Law, LLC, is an experienced trial attorney who focuses on civil litigation, including Syngenta corn cases. To speak with Attorney Borgess, call Borgess Law at (567) 455-5955 or toll-free at (844) LAW-9144. You can also contact Borgess Law by submitting an online inquiry. Borgess Law never charges for initial consultations.