Homeowners Sue DuPont After Imprelis Herbicide Kills Trees

MINNEAPOLIS, MN: Homeowners have filed a lawsuit alleging that DuPont’s new herbicide, Imprelis, is causing severe damage to mature pine trees.  The lawsuit, filed today in Hennepin County, Minnesota, seeks reimbursement for mature trees or other plants damaged or killed after Imprelis herbicide was applied to their lawn.  The lawsuit alleges that DuPont failed to properly test Imprelis before it released the herbicide, failed to disclose the risks and warnings needed to safely use the product, and then marketed the product as an environmentally safe and superior way to control unwanted weeds. Many communities in Minnesota are only now learning of the extent of their tree damage.

Imprelis, sold by DuPont Professional Products was introduced to the market in October 2010 and aggressively marketed to lawn care professionals as an environmentally friendly way to kill broad leaf weeds like dandelion, ground ivy, creeping charlie, wild violet and clover. However, the lawsuit alleges that within weeks of an Imprelis application, affected trees start showing signs of significant damage and browning.

On August 11, 2011, the EPA issued an Order prohibiting DuPont from continuing to market and sell Imprelis.

The full scope and scale of the damage potentially caused by Imprelis is not yet known.  Early reports indicate that impacted trees may require costly removal and replacement, and that soil may remain contaminated for an undetermined amount of time, possibly months or even years.  Those investigating claims are advising property owners with potentially affected trees to be on the look-out for characteristic browning and curling of leaves and branches on the edges and tops of mature landscape trees and plants, and to take pictures of any damage before trees are cut down or removed.

To assist property owners in preservation of their claims, we have provided a link on our website (www.zrlawfirm.com) on the steps to take to preserve evidence of damage caused by Imprelis.

The law firms of Zimmerman Reed and Gustafson Gluek jointly filed the lawsuit.  A copy of the Complaint is available at www.zrlawfirm.com.

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