Bayer welcomes the judge's call for a new trial in a glyphosate case worth $ 2 billion

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany 's Bayer AG is pleased on Friday with the conditional decision of a US judge seeking a rehearing of the case of a couple who had seen him. inflict $ 2 billion in damages by a jury that concluded that its glyphosate weed killer caused their cancer.

Bayer shares rose 1.4% in Frankfurt trading early.

Judge Winifred Y. Smith, of the Alameda County Superior Court in California, ruled that Alva and Alberta Pilliod should be tried again, citing concerns about the extent of damages awarded.

"The court's interim order proposes to amend the benefits, which would be a step in the right direction," Bayer said in a statement. "Bayer will wait for a final order on post-trial motions before commenting in more detail."

Bayer attached a copy of the court's decision to his statement.

In June, Bayer had asked Justice Smith to overturn the jury's verdict that his Roundup weed killer had caused the couple's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), saying the decision was not supported by the evidence.

The German pharmaceutical manufacturer and a chemical company told the court at the time that the verdict was based on "inflammatory, fabricated and irrelevant evidence" of the couple's lawyers.

(This story corrects to remove the reference to misconduct in paragraph three.)