More than 100 community members filed a joint lawsuit against Syngenta over alleged genetically modified corn crops.
Roughly 125 people jointly filed the lawsuit in Madison County Circuit Court on Sept. 18 against Syngenta AG, Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Syngenta Corporation, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Syngenta Biotechnology, LLC, and Syngenta Seeds Inc..
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs claim the defendants prematurely released genetically modified corn in 2009 with a trait that was prohibited from sale in China, which they claim exported the product.
The plaintiffs claim that due to the prohibited trait used in the corn they planted, they incurred losses in trade business and could continue to lose business in the future. They also claim they suffered financial losses exceeding $75,000.
The group asks the court for an order requiring the defendants to take steps to remediate contamination of crops. They also seek unspecified damages to be determined by the court, attorney's fees, court costs and any other relief the court deems appropriate.
The plaintiffs are represented by James G. Odner, W. Wylie Blair, and Michael J. Quillin of Onder, Shelten, O'Leary, & Peterson based out of St. Louis.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 15-L-1219