LITTLE ROCK, Ark., July 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerson Poynter LLP (www.emersonpoynter.com), a national law firm with offices in Little Rock, Arkansas and Houston, Texas, announced today that a global deal had been reached between U.S. Rice Farmers and Bayer AG over contamination of the U.S. rice supply by Bayer's genetically modified rice.
Bayer has agreed to pay up to $750 million in damages to U.S. rice farmers in addition to all administrative costs. This $750 million global deal is in addition to previous settlements in which Bayer has agreed to pay to some plaintiffs in various lawsuits over the Liberty Link rice. Plaintiffs include farmers, rice exporters, rice importers, rice mills, and rice seed dealers.
Attorney Scott Poynter of Emerson Poynter LLP is Co-Chairman of the Plaintiff's Executive Counsel Committee and has been extensively involved in the case for five years. Mr. Poynter says an important condition of the global deal is that 85% of the rice acres farmed in the United States must file claims in the global deal for it to be effective and for everyone to be paid. For this reason, if you farmed long grain rice in any year from 2006 through 2010 you need to consult a lawyer and file a claim against the global deal. The claim could easily be worth thousands of dollars. Landlords in crop share agreements are also entitled to compensation under the global deal. There is a time limit for claims to be filed, so action must be taken quickly to preserve your rights in the $750 million global deal.
If you are not represented by another law firm in this matter, please contact us about your rights and potential claims.