Bayer must pay US$1.3 million in Roundup cancer trial, jury finds
BAYER AG must pay US$1.3 million to a man who sued the company alleging he developed cancer from exposure to its Roundup weedkiller, a jury in St. Louis, Missouri found Friday (Oct 20).
W Wylie Blair, a lawyer for plaintiff John Durnell, said the verdict broke a winning streak for the company, which had prevailed in the previous nine trials over Roundup.
Blair said the trial was the first in which jurors heard evidence that other chemicals in Roundup besides its main ingredient, glyphosate, could cause cancer.
The verdict did not include punitive damages.
“The client and plaintiff’s lawyers are extremely happy and grateful for the verdict after a hard-fought three week trial,” Blair said.
Bayer said in a statement that it will appeal.
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“We continue to stand behind the safety of Roundup and will defend the safety of our products and our good faith actions in any future litigation,” the company said.
Durnell, like many other plaintiffs suing over Roundup, said he developed a type of cancer known as non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He is in remission from the disease, according to Blair.
Roundup-related lawsuits have dogged Bayer since it acquired the brand as part of its US$63 billion purchase of agricultural seeds and pesticides maker Monsanto Co in 2018. The German conglomerate has said that decades of studies have shown Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, are safe for human use.
Bayer settled most Roundup claims against it in 2020 for up to US$10.9 billion, but still faces close to 40,000 Roundup-related cases. It has sought to challenge plaintiffs’ ability to sue under state law before the U.S. Supreme Court, so far unsuccessfully. REUTERS
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