A jury in Georgia has ordered Monsanto parent Bayer to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who says the company\u2019s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, according to attorneys representing the plaintiff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The verdict marks the latest in a long-running series of court battles<\/u><\/a> Monsanto has faced over its Roundup herbicide. The agrochemical giant says it will appeal the verdict, reached in a Georgia courtroom late Friday, in efforts to overturn the decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The penalties awarded include $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC said in a statement. That marks one of the largest legal settlements<\/u><\/a> reached in a Roundup-related case to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaintiff John Barnes filed his lawsuit against Monsanto in 2021, seeking damages related to his non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma. Arnold & Itkin attorney Kyle Findley, the lead trial lawyer on the case, said the verdict will help put his client in a better position to get the treatment he needs going forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a long road for him \u2026 and he was happy that the truth related to the product (has) been exposed,\u201d Findley told The Associated Press on Sunday. He called the verdict an \u201cimportant milestone\u201d after \u201canother example of Monsanto\u2019s refusal to accept responsibility for poisoning people with this toxic product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has continued to dispute claims that Roundup causes cancer. But the company has been hit with more than 177,000 lawsuits<\/u><\/a> involving the weedkiller and set aside $16 billion to settle cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement, Monsanto said Friday\u2019s verdict \u201cconflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide.\u201d The company added that it continues \u201cto stand fully behind the safety\u201d of Roundup products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For a variety of crops \u2014 including corn, soybeans and cotton \u2014 Roundup is designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist the weedkiller\u2019s deadly effect. It allows farmers to produce more while conserving the soil by tilling it less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some studies associate Roundup\u2019s key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said<\/u><\/a> it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed. Findley said that evidence relating to Barnes\u2019 case show \u201cmany years of cover-ups\u201d and \u201cbackroom dealings.\u201d He accused Monsanto of ignoring several scientific studies related to the toxicity of Roundup and said the company \u201ctried to find ways to persuade and distract and deny the connection between this product and non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday\u2019s decision marks the fourth Roundup-related verdict that Findley\u2019s team has won to date \u2014 the largest of which was awarded in Philadelphia in January 2024, with damages totaling $2.25 billion. And he said his law firm has \u201cmany more clients who are similarly situated as Mr. Barnes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monsanto, meanwhile, also maintains that it \u201cremains committed to trying cases\u201d \u2014 and argues its wider record of Roundup-related litigation<\/u><\/a> continues to reinforce the safety of its products. The company said it has prevailed in 17 of the last 25 related trials, while some previous damage awards have been reduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bayer has recently renewed and expanded<\/u><\/a> an effort across a handful of U.S. states<\/u><\/a> to protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that a product causes cancer, if labeling otherwise complies with EPA regulations. The company and other industry supports argue that litigation costs are unstainable and could impact Roundup\u2019s future availability. But opponents stress that such legislation would limit accountability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, numerous lawsuits over the weedkiller allege glyphosate does cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, arguing that Monsanto has failed to warn the public about serious risks for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n