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Supreme Court Sides with Local Farmers in Pesticide Suit

Case Updates:

May 2, 2005

Pesticides and herbicides are poisons that can inflict serious damage on humans and the natural world. A group of peanut farmers in Texas learned this the hard way when a product manufactured by Dow Agrosciences, a huge agricultural conglomerate, killed off their peanut crops. The peanut farmers sued in Texas state court, seeking to right the harm caused by Dow’s herbicide. Instead of taking responsibility, the corporation argued that the farmers had no legal right to bring a lawsuit in state court over a chemical regulated by federal law. However, in a 7-2 decision the Supreme Court sided with local peanut farmers and ruled that state citizens still have a fundamental right to hold accountable corporations that sell defective and dangerous products. Sierra Club joined the case as a friend of the court to stand up for the rights of local farmers, indeed all state citizens, to challenge corporate misbehavior.

Details and Documents:

Supreme Court Decision