The plaintiffs include operators of the Polo Fields Golf & Country Club in Southfield, Mich.
According to Reuters, DuPont was sued in June by a Michigan golf club that alleges its widely used Imprelis herbicide kills trees, reflecting a growing nationwide problem being investigated by a top U.S. regulator.
Imprelis, conditionally approved for sale last October by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is lethal to mature landscape trees including Norway and Colorado spruce, white pines and other evergreens, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delaware.
The plaintiffs include operators of the Polo Fields Golf & Country Club in Southfield, Mich.
In the complaint, they said Imprelis has caused “the loss of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of mature pine and spruce trees,” and the nationwide damage “is mounting with no end in sight.”
Kate Childress, a DuPont spokeswoman, in an emailed statement said the Wilmington-based company is evaluating the lawsuit, but is confident that the case is “unfounded” and will oppose it vigorously.
She also said DuPont is investigating whether Imprelis “contributed to the observed symptoms.” DuPont said it has, as a precaution, advised customers not to use Imprelis near Norway spruce and white pines.
An EPA spokesman said that agency has received reports from “numerous states” about problems with Imprelis.
He said the EPA is in the early stages of an investigation, and expects this month to begin an expedited review to decide whether changes are needed in how Imprelis is used.
The Polo Fields lawsuit alleges negligence, consumer fraud and damage to land, among other claims, and seeks class-action status on behalf of Imprelis users in Michigan and nationwide. It seeks triple damages and other remedies.
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