Roundup Weedkiller Verdict: Georgia Jury Orders Bayer To Pay $2 Billion
German agricultural and pharmaceutical giant Bayer fell in European trading after a Georgia jury ordered Monsanto's parent company to pay $2.1 billion in damages to a man who claimed the company's Roundup weed killer caused his cancer.
Late Friday, the State Court of Cobb County, Georgia, reached a verdict in favor of the plaintiff, John Barnes, who filed a lawsuit against Monsanto in 2021, seeking damages related to his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
"It's been a long road for him … and he was happy that the truth related to the product (has) been exposed," Barnes' attorney Kyle Findley stated, adding the verdict is an "important milestone" after "another example of Monsanto's refusal to accept responsibility for poisoning people with this toxic product."
Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 and has since been battered with dispute claims that Roundup's key ingredient, glyphosate, causes cancer. The German company has set aside over $16 billion to settle the lawsuits.
Bayer responded to the penalties awarded that include $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages for the plaintiff:
We disagree with the jury's verdict, as it conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide.
We believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the excessive and unconstitutional damage awards eliminated or reduced.
Earlier, Goldman's James Quigley, Rajan Sharma, and others noted that this is the first case in Georgia, "typically awards are reduced on appeal."
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