$ 80 million awarded to a man in the Roundup case



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$ 80 million awarded to a man in the Roundup case Roundup via CNN

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A federal jury awarded $ 80 million to a Californian national after determining that Monsanto's famous herbicide, Roundup, was an important factor in the cause of his cancer and that society was responsible for it.

The San Francisco jury awarded $ 5.27 million in compensatory damages and $ 75 million in punitive damages to plaintiff Edwin Hardeman.

During the first phase of the trial last week, the The jury blasted Monsanto, saying Roundup was an important factor in Hardeman's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The second phase focused on the issue of Monsanto's legal liability and possible damages to be awarded. Hardeman asserted that Roundup's design was flawed, that the product was not sufficiently aware of the potential risks and that Monsanto had neglected not to prevent risks.

In response to the verdict on Wednesday, Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, said that he would appeal the verdict.

"We are disappointed with the jury's decision, but this verdict does not change the weight of more than four decades of in-depth science and the conclusions of regulators around the world who support the safety of our glyphosate herbicides and the fact that They are not carcinogenic – this trial has no impact on future cases and trials, as each has its own factual and legal circumstances. "

"We have great sympathy for Mr. Hardeman and his family, Bayer supports these products and will defend them vigorously," the company said.

Hardeman's lawyers were satisfied with the jury's decision.

"We are delighted that after three long years of litigation, Mr. Hardeman has finally obtained a resolution and that the jury has held Monsanto responsible for its misconduct in handling and deception," CNN told CNN. lawyer, Aimee Wagstaff.

In a statement, Hardeman's lawyers criticized Monsanto.

"It is clear in Monsanto's actions that he does not care whether Roundup causes cancer, but rather to manipulate public opinion and undermine anyone raising legitimate and legitimate concerns about Roundup ", the statement said.

The Hardeman case against Monsanto is the first to be tried by a federal court. About 11,000 similar cases are still pending at the federal or state level. The plaintiffs sue Monsanto, claiming that the product gave them non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Although Bayer said Wednesday's verdict would not affect future business, Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said it would be possible.

"It provides a roadmap for all other cases," said Tobias, among thousands of similar cases concerning Roundup. "It's an indicator, there may be other cases like this."

He said that this shows that a case last year in which a California jury awarded $ 289 million in punitive and compensatory damages to the former school gardener, Dewayne Johnson, "was not an isolated case." Johnson's case was the first public test on whether Roundup could cause cancer.

A judge then reduced the total compensation to $ 78 million. But Johnson's lawyer, Timothy Litzenburg, said his client had not seen much because Monsanto was appealing. Johnson's case was the first to be the subject of a lawsuit because doctors told him that he was about to die and that in California, dying plaintiffs may benefit from an expedited trial.

Questions about glyphosate

Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who used Roundup began suing Monsanto in the hundreds after a report from the World Health Organization suggests that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, could cause cancer.

The 2015 report of the International Agency for Research on Cancer of WHO states that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans". But Monsanto has long claimed that Roundup does not cause cancer, and said the IARC report was far surpassed by studies that glyphosate was safe.

Kara Cook-Schultz of the US Public Interest Fund, who is leading a campaign to ban Roundup, applauded the jury's decision. "The huge damages awarded in this case show that the jury shares our concerns.After this huge price, we expect to be even more aware of the fact that Roundup is not as safe as the one advertised."

Bayer insists that glyphosate is safe when used according to instructions.

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