LOS ANGELES, February 9, 2022 – Proskauer, a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that it has been recognized by the Daily Journal in its list of “Top Verdicts for 2021” for the Firm’s victory in a consumer litigation case. In December 2021, Proskauer secured a landmark victory for Monsanto in a case brought by a woman claiming that use of the herbicide Roundup caused her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A California jury rejected the claims, returning a defense verdict on all counts.

The Daily Journal’s annual list highlights the most significant verdicts and appellate reversals in California.

“The jury's verdict is especially important for Monsanto because ‘it's the first case where there's a finding ... by the jury on the issue of general causation’,” Partner Bart Williams said during an interview with The Daily Journal. 

The verdict in Stephens v. Monsanto is the second defense verdict in the Roundup mass tort litigation and the first involving a plaintiff who used the product herself. All prior trials with plaintiffs who claimed to have personally applied Roundup resulted in verdicts against Monsanto ranging from $80 million to over $2 billion.

"I truly believe in this case we had the scientific truth on our side," Partner Manuel Cachán said during an interview with The Daily Journal.

The Proskauer team advising Monsanto was led by Bart Williams and Manuel Cachán, and included partner Lee Popkin, senior counsel Shawn Ledingham, former special litigation counsel Jennifer Jones, associates Jennifer Yang, Christina Assi, Kelly Curtis, Om Alladi, Hena Vora, Seth Victor, Hannah Silverman, and paralegals Jeff Soldridge, Stacey Evans, Abby Rubin, Julian McCarthy, and Catie Goodell (Litigation). 

Reproduced with permission from the Daily Journal. © 2022 Daily Journal Corporation. All rights reserved.

About Proskauer

We are 800+ lawyers serving clients from 12 offices located in the leading financial and business centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The world’s leading organizations, companies and corporations choose us to be their representatives in their most critical situations. But more, they consider Proskauer a strategic partner to drive their business forward. We work with asset managers, major sports leagues, Fortune 500 companies, entertainment industry legends and other industry-redefining companies.

Proskauer has a full-service litigation practice with extensive trial experience in virtually every major forum across the globe. We win make-or-break cases, change laws and establish precedents. Recent victories for our multi-disciplinary team include procuring a historic debt restructuring on behalf of the Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, and securing a landmark victory for Monsanto in a case brought by a woman claiming that the use of the herbicide Roundup caused her non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Our prowess in the field consistently earns the highest accolades, receiving top-tier rankings in Chambers and recognized as leaders by The Legal 500 and Benchmark Litigation, among others.