A Los Angeles jury has awarded $25 million to Roland Esparza, a 58-year-old man who developed severe lung disease after years of using Conagra's butter-flavored Pam cooking spray. The Superior Court of Los Angeles found that Conagra failed to adequately warn consumers about the dangers of inhaling fumes from the spray containing diacetyl, a butter flavoring chemical linked to respiratory illness.

Esparza, a bodybuilder and martial artist who used the spray multiple times daily since the 1990s, was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as "popcorn lung." While Conagra removed diacetyl from its Pam formulation in 2009, the jury determined the company's previous warnings were insufficient. This marks the first successful consumer case against a cooking spray manufacturer for popcorn lung, though several microwave popcorn manufacturers have faced similar lawsuits.

The verdict represents a significant legal precedent in product liability cases involving diacetyl exposure. Conagra has announced its intention to challenge the award, maintaining that Pam cooking spray is safe and has been diacetyl-free for nearly two decades. The company faces mounting legal pressure, having recently been ordered to pay $7.1 million in 2023 to a woman burned by a Pam can explosion. Esparza, who needs a double lung transplant, hopes the verdict will provide financial support as his condition worsens.