Court Authorizes Interim Payments to Syngenta Class Members
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 17, 2020) – The first payments to class members in the landmark Syngenta corn class action lawsuit (MDL No. 2591) will be mailed beginning later this month, settlement class counsel announced today. These payments stem from the $1.51 billion settlement related to Syngenta’s marketing and commercialization of Agrisure Viptera and Agrisure Duracade corn seeds, which is believed to be the largest agricultural settlement in U.S. history.
For a majority of farmers, the total payments under the settlement will exceed $5,000.
Settlement class counsel asked the MDL Court in Kansas for permission to make partial, interim payments on approved claims to help farmers struggling with the current economic situations and because a relatively small number of claims are still being processed, which precludes final payments. On February 28, the Hon. John W. Lungstrum, the MDL Judge, entered an order authorizing these interim payments to eligible corn growers, grain handling facilities and ethanol production plants.
Beginning on or around March 20, interim payment checks will be mailed to eligible class members:
- Producers and landlords will receive approximately 65 percent of their estimated total settlement amount; and
- Grain handling facilities and ethanol production facilities will receive approximately 50 percent of their estimated total settlement amount.
The remainder of each class member’s total settlement amount is expected to be paid in the fall of 2020, when all claims have been processed.
To receive payment, class members must have submitted all required payment documents, including W-9 forms. No payments will be made unless and until a W-9 form is received. These may be submitted at www.cornseedsettlement.com.
The Settlement Class Counsel are Patrick Stueve of Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP; Dan Gustafson of Gustafson Gluek PLLC; and Chris Seeger of Seeger Weiss LLP. They issued the following statement:
“This brings meaningful relief to a long and hard-fought battle. We are gratified that the hundreds of thousands of class members will be compensated for their losses, and we hope these payments help the many farmers who are hurting economically. It has been an honor to advocate for farmers and others in this important litigation.”
