Plaintiffs suing Monsanto for concealing the carcinogenic properties of glyphosate and Roundup® are seeking the deposition of EPA employee Jess Rowland.
Notably, Rowland retired from the EPA days after a Cancer Assessment Review Committee report was leaked to the press. The report stated the committee, which Rowland chaired, found insufficient evidence to determine glyphosate was carcinogenic. According to Court filings from Plaintiffs Monsanto pressured Rowland’s committee to release the report, to “preempt other potential actions or inquiries about the dangers of glyphosate.”
At a late February hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said he would allow the deposition of Rowland and release sealed internal Monsanto communications to the public. “My reaction is when you consider the relevance of the EPA’s reports, and you consider their relevance to this litigation, it seems appropriate to take Jess Rowland’s deposition,” the judge explained.
Another relevant document is a letter from former EPA scientist Marion Copley to Rowland, pleading with him to “for once in your life, listen to me and don’t play your political conniving games with the science to favor the registrants,” in reference to Rowland favoring industry interests over scientific findings. She states that based on available evidence, glyphosate should be classified as a “probable carcinogen” instead of a “possible” one.
This classification would be in accord with the findings of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, which classified glyphosate a probable human carcinogen in 2015. Though this classification was reached through an expert review process carried out by world-renowned scientists, Monsanto dismissed the findings and attacked the experts’ credibility.
Representatives for Monsanto continue to deny the scientific evidence proving the serious 
dangers of Roundup® use and claim that the glyphosate in Roundup® is harmless. The multinational company’s quest to protect its lucrative weed killer at the expense of their customers’ health becomes increasingly evident as the litigation proceeds.
Raven M. Norris, a lawyer representing the EPA, argued that taking Rowland’s testimony would be “premature,” Bloomberg shared (www.bloomberg.com). Rowland declined a voluntary interview and the government has been given until March 28 to file their arguments against Rowland’s deposition.
The Miller Firm is presently accepting clients who developed non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after exposure to Roundup®. If this has happened to you, please visit our Roundup Lawsuit page, where you can request a free consultation. You also can call the Miller Firm at 1-800-882-2525.