Home and property owners claiming Dupont’s herbicide Imprelis is responsible for widespread damage and death of certain tree species continue to wait for compensation from the manufacturer.
According to a Detroit Free Press report, class-action lawsuits filed in eight states representing hundreds of homeowners, property owners and landscape professionals are stalled as Dupont drags its feet in responding to accusations that its once revolutionary herbicide Imprelis caused damage to and the death of numerous tree species after it was applied to lawns and gardens.
A deadline for those parties to file damage claims has passed and another deadline – one to file documentation supporting those claims – expires within a week, according to the same report. Meanwhile, those who’ve already filed lawsuits against Dupont await a response.
Dupont marketed Imprelis as a revolutionary herbicide, touting its ability to target certain nuisance plant varieties and kill them. Problems arose when commercial landscape services began applying Imprelis to public parks, golf courses and at private residences. Suddenly, trees like white pine and Norway spruce began yellowing, their needles fell off and trees died. After several months of use, damage was widespread and massive, with as many as tens of thousands of trees dead and millions of dollars in damage caused.
The manufacturer was ordered to remove Imprelis from the market in response to these claims. Further investigation revealed Dupont hadn’t properly tested the effectiveness of Imprelis, including its effect on the tree species it was negatively impacting. And while the reports of the damage it was causing continued to mount, Dupont insisted Imprelis was safe and not responsible for the damage. The company will not disclose how many lawsuits it is currently facing but has now changed its message.
Now, as deadlines to file lawsuits and evidence pass, Dupont claims trees and other plants which many have been damaged by Imprelis will recover in coming months. Attorneys representing Imprelis victims don’t believe that message, and that will not recoup the money they’ve already spent remedying the problems it has caused. This is likely just the latest ploy on the part of Dupont to avoid accepting responsibility for its failed product.
Some property owners have removed old, mature trees which died after having Imprelis applied nearby. This has resulted in millions in damage and some landscape professionals interviewed by FreeP.com believe when the season changes to Spring, the damage caused by Imprelis last season could continue, not reverse as Dupont suggests.
Class-action lawsuits against Dupont over Imprelis damage have been filed in Delaware, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.
