Frequently Asked Questions
At Spiros Law, P.C., we believe that Syngenta is directly responsible for the depression of corn prices in the United States because of their Agrisure Viptera® and Agrisure Duracade™ corn varieties, both of which are not approved for import to China. As such, if you have grown corn in the U.S. since November 2013, you could be eligible for compensation to help you recover some of the financial losses you have suffered.
To help individuals better understand this situation and the possible legal options available to farmers in the U.S., the Viptera lawsuit lawyers at Spiros Law, P.C., have compiled the following list of questions we are asked most frequently. If your question is not addressed on this page, feel free to call us directly at (844) 847-8372.
Who is eligible to file a claim against Syngenta?
Our firm has retained the services of two leading agricultural economists who have independently evaluated the effects of Syngenta’s actions, both of whom concluded that the price of U.S. corn after November 2013 is lower than it would have been if China had not stopped accepting U.S. corn. What’s more is that both agricultural economists anticipate that corn prices will continue to be depressed until China approves the Agrisure Viptera® and Agrisure Duracade™ corn varieties. As such, anyone who has grown corn since November of 2013 is likely to have a claim against Syngenta for its role in the diminishment of the U.S. corn market.
How will Spiros Law, P.C. move forward with litigation against Syngenta?
Currently, we are inclined to file this litigation as a class action on behalf of all corn farmers rather than filing a series of individual cases. By filing this lawsuit as a class action, we believe we will be positioned to most efficiently seek compensation for each and every affected U.S. corn farmer and, thereby, reduce the burden on each individual farmer involved in the litigation.
What will I need to do as a class representative?
Essentially, class representatives act as a spokesperson for all of the corn farmers in their respective state. As such, every class representative will represent the corn farmers of his or her state in regards to every matter related to the case. If you are interested in serving as a class representative, please contact our offices at (844) 847-8372; we will not propose anyone as a class representative unless we have spoken to that individual, explained the duties and responsibilities associated with the role of class representative, and obtained an agreement to serve the farmers of his or her state in this capacity.
If I do not want to be a class representative in this lawsuit, what will I be expected to do?
Under most circumstances, you will have to do nothing more than fill out a questionnaire and/or a fact sheet about your farming operations so that we can have your information on file and get a better understanding of how our clients have been affected by Syngenta’s actions. Should we achieve a settlement, we will send you a claim form that will require similar information regarding your farming operations.
Which of Syngenta’s genetic traits are not approved by the Chinese government?
Neither the MIR 162 nor the Event 5307 genetic traits are currently approved for export to China. While the MIR 162 genetic trait is present in both the Agrisure Viptera® and Agrisure Duracade™ variations of corn, the Event 5307 is only present in the Agrisure Duracade™ variation. As a result of the United States’ grain handling system, it is virtually impossible to prevent shipments of U.S. corn from testing positive for either genetic traits.
