US: Dicamba settlement claims period begins

Attorneys for farmers announced the execution of a $400 million settlement agreement designed to compensate farmers for yield losses resulting from dicamba damage. The claims period begins on December 29, 2020.

Impacted soybean farmers can submit claims at www.dicambasoybeansettlement.com/ or call 855-914-4672. The deadline to submit claims is May 28, 2021.

The settlement with Monsanto provides compensation for damage and yield losses occurring from the introduction of the Xtend crop system. The $400 million settlement offers farmers an opportunity to receive the financial compensation they deserve for damage they have experienced, which is particularly helpful to farmers in these difficult times. Anyone with specific types of evidence of dicamba damage in any of year from 2015 through 2020 is eligible to participate in the settlement.

"We are pleased that relief will soon be available to the thousands of farmers across America who have suffered yield losses due to off-target movement of dicamba," said attorney Don Downing, chair of the court-appointed Plaintiffs' Executive Committee in the multi-district litigation.

Under the settlement, affected farmers may receive up to 100% of their yield losses caused by off-target dicamba. That means impacted farmers can potentially recover 100 cents on the dollar of the losses that they can establish with standard farming records.

"At the end of what has been the hardest year of many Americans' lives, we are grateful these farmers will be able to get the compensation they have long deserved," added attorney Bev Randles, member of the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee.

Farmers are able to complete the claim process on their own; can hire an attorney of their choice; or can retain one of the Plaintiffs' Executive Committee firms to assist with putting together the claim form and supporting documentation.

The settlement resolves the claims brought by a large group of farmers from several states whose dicamba injury lawsuits had been consolidated into a multi-district litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and claims for the 2015-2020 crop years.

The settlement was negotiated by the court appointed Plaintiffs' Executive Committee: Don Downing of Gray Ritter & Graham; Rene Rocha of Morgan & Morgan; Paul Lesko of Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway; Hart Robinovitch of Zimmerman Reed; James Bilsborrow of Weitz & Luxenberg; Paul LLP; Bev Randles of Randles & Splittgerber; Paul Byrd of Paul Byrd Law Firm.