Bayer/Monsanto Hit With a $2 Billion Verdict in the Latest Roundup Cancer Trial

Bayer/Monsanto Hit With a $2 Billion Verdict in the Latest Roundup Cancer Trial

In the biggest blow yet to Bayer/Monsanto, this week a California jury rendered a $2 billion (with a “B”) verdict to a husband and wife who both contracted non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as a result of their use of and exposure to Monsanto’s Roundup glyphosate-containing herbicide. This verdict represents the third verdict for injured plaintiffs in the three cases that have gone to trial thus far. Thousands more of such cases are currently awaiting trial. Next up is a trial scheduled in August in Monsanto’s former back yard, St. Louis County, Missouri.

This latest verdict comes on the heels of a March decision, in which a San Francisco jury decided an $80 million verdict for a man who blamed his cancer on his extensive use of Roundup, and an August 2018 decision where another San Francisco decided a $289 million verdict to a single plaintiff. On appeal that verdict was reduced to $78 million, and legal experts believe that this most recent verdict will likely be substantially reduced on appeal as well.

Bayer/Monsanto are, of course, appealing each of these verdicts and toeing the company line that Roundup does not cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but it is important to remember that these companies have pulled out all the stops trying to protect their cash cow, from ghostwriting editorialsthat Roundup is safe to hiring the best legal resources money can buy. On top of that, Bayer/Monsanto maintains strict control over the “proprietary” nature of its Roundup product, making scientific analysis of the precise mechanisms of injury caused by the synergistic impact of the various chemicals in it exceedingly difficult. But what is clear that, despite these companies’ efforts, the American people are not buying Monsanto’s denials once they see the evidence for themselves regarding the link between Roundup and cancer.

If you believe that you have contracted cancer from exposure to Roundup, you should contact an experienced attorney right away to explore the possibility of a claim.