JPML Considers Request to Transfer Monsanto GM Wheat Suits

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) recently heard argument on the Center for Food Safety’s motion to transfer to a multidistrict litigation (MDL) court pending lawsuits against Monsanto Co. involving the genetically modified (GM) wheat that appeared in an Oregon farmer’s conventional wheat field and briefly disrupted exports to some of the nation’s trading partners. In re Monsanto Co. Genetically Engineered Wheat Litig., MDL No. 2473 (J.P.M.L., motion argued September 26, 2013). The center requested that suits filed in Idaho, Kansas, Oregon, and Washington be transferred to the Eastern District of Washington. Additional details about the Kansas litigation appear in Issue 486 of this Update.