A San Francisco judge has upheld a verdict saying Monsanto’s weed killer caused a groundskeeper’s cancer but has cut the $287 million award to $78 million.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos ruled Monday
A San Francisco jury’s August verdict included $250 million in punitive damages, which the judge said was too high. She reduced the punitive damages to $39 million, matching the jury’s underlying damage award.
Jurors found Monsanto purposely ignored warnings and evidence that its popular Roundup product caused DeWayne Johnson’s lymphoma.
In a tentative ruling on Oct. 11, Bolanos said she was considering wiping out the punitive damage award because there appeared to be no evidence presented at trial that Monsanto employees ignored evidence that the weed killer caused cancer.
Here is a statement from Bayer:
The following is Bayer’s statement regarding a decision by Judge Suzanne R. Bolanos on post-trial motions filed by Monsanto in Dewayne Johnson v. Monsanto, a case pending in the Superior Court of the State of California County of San Francisco. Judge Bolanos previously oversaw the Johnson trial.
“The Court’s decision to reduce the punitive damage award by more than $200 million is a step in the right direction, but we continue to believe that the liability verdict and damage awards are not supported by the evidence at trial or the law and plan to file an appeal with the California Court of Appeal.
“Glyphosate-based herbicides have been used safely and successfully for over four decades worldwide and are a valuable tool to help farmers deliver crops to markets and practice sustainable farming by reducing soil tillage, soil erosion and carbon emissions. There is an extensive body of research on glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, including more than 800 rigorous registration studies required by EPA, European and other regulators, that confirms that these products are safe when used as directed. Notably, the largest and most recent epidemiologic study – the 2018 independent National Cancer Institute long-term study that followed over 50,000 pesticide applicators and was published after the IARC monograph – found no association between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer. Additionally, EPA’s 2017 post-IARC cancer risk assessment examined more than 100 studies the agency considered relevant and concluded that glyphosate is ‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,’ its most favorable rating.”
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