A Hawaiian news source reports a law firm has filed individual lawsuits on behalf of three men living on the Big Island of Hawaii against Monsanto. 

The product liability claims, filed in Hilo Circuit Court, were filed on behalf of men, ages 60 to 77. All three men allege that Monsanto’s Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a rare type of cancer that affects the white blood cells. The lawsuits maintain that exposure to glyphosate and other chemicals known as PCBs are to blame for the disease. 

In addition to Monsanto, other defendants are named, including: Solutia Inc., Pharmacia Corp. and Pfizer Inc., as well as local corporations that sold or continue to sell Roundup. 

Thus far, no dollar amount for damages has been specified in either of the three lawsuits. All three men used Roundup in noncommercial applications such as gardening. 

Earlier this year, Bayer AG, which purchased Monsanto in 2018, announced that it was settling approximately 90,000 out of 125,000 for $10.9 billion, with an additional $1.25 billion allocated to settling future litigation over the herbicide. 

To date, approximately 88,500 claims have been settled in principle, however Bayer acknowledges that they will likely have to pay an additional $725 million to settle future claims, which includes those filed on behalf of the three Big Island men. 

Bayer also faces about 2,000 federal lawsuits that are not part of the original $10 billion-plus settlement, as those claims were filed at the state level. The German pharmaceutical giant also acknowledges recently that it may have to settle more future lawsuits than previously anticipated. 

Moreover, the company has faced a couple high-profile legal setbacks. The State Supreme Court of California refused to review the first successful lawsuit against Monsanto, that of former school groundskeeper Dwayne “Lee” Johnson. And the first successful federal lawsuit against Monsanto, won by Edwin Hardeman, was upheld by a California circuit court judge.