Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million In First Roundup Cancer Trial
August 14th, 2018
Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million In First Roundup Cancer Trial
This past Friday, a jury ordered Monsanto Co., now part of Bayer AG, to pay $289.2 million to a Roundup user who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in a landmark lawsuit over whether exposure to Monsanto’s powerful weed killers cause cancer. The jury verdict, in San Francisco Superior Court, further shines the light on Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup following the 2015 determination from the International Agency for the Research on Cancer that glyphosate, the active ingredient Roundup herbicides, probably causes cancer.
Dewayne Johnson's victory Friday could set a precedent for thousands of other cases claiming Monsanto's famous herbicide causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Thousands of patients are suing Monsanto, claiming Roundup gave them cancer. After three days of deliberations this week, the jury at the Superior Court found Monsanto responsible for $39.2 million in compensatory damages Johnson and $250 million in punitive damages based on Monsanto’s misconduct in trying to conceal the dangers of glyphosate to human health.
The big questions at trial were whether Roundup can cause cancer and, if so, whether Monsanto failed to warn consumers about the product's cancer risk. The jury emphatically answered those both questions in favor of Mr. Johnson. For plaintiffs suing Monsanto, who have the burden of proving that Roundup is carcinogenic, the jury’s decision may end up being the impetus for improving public health by helping to further educate the public on the hazards of Roundup.
Monsanto continues to maintain that Roundup, the most widely used weed killer worldwide does not cause cancer, but Johnson’s case focused not only on glyphosate but Roundup as a chemical mixture, in which the interaction between glyphosate and the other ingredients in Roundup react synergistically to make the product more carcinogenic. While this fight is far from over – Monsanto will undoubtedly appeal – Round 1 went to the people in a big way in this battle and will hopefully cause Monsanto to take a hard look at itself and its products.
As a lawyer who handles chemically-induced cancer claims from products like Roundup, I can attest to the importance of contacting a lawyer as soon as possible to explore your rights. If you or one of your loved ones have been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and have a history of exposure to Roundup, you should contact an experienced law firm right away to explore the possibility of a claim.
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