[ad_1]
A jury in Oakland, Calif., Awarded $ 2 billion in punitive damages after finding that prolonged exposure to Monsanto Co.'s famous Roundup weed killer led to a cancer diagnosis. The couple will receive an additional $ 55 million for pain and suffering and to cover medical expenses.
The jury of the Superior Court of Alameda County deliberated for less than two days before rendering a verdict.
Seventy-six-year-old Alva and 74-year-old Alberta Pilliod used Roundup for about 30 years for residential landscaping, which, according to the jury, played a "substantial factor" in the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Alva was diagnosed in 2011; his wife, Alberta, received the same diagnosis four years later. They are both in remission.
Bayer, Monsanto's parent company, issued a statement claiming the couple had "a long history of diseases known to be substantial risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma" and countered claims that an active ingredient in Roundup, the glyphosate, would have been associated with cancer. Bayer has announced its intention to appeal Monday's verdict.
"The jury saw by itself the company's internal documents demonstrating that, from the first day, Monsanto had no interest in knowing whether Roundup was safe," said the couple's lawyer, R Brent Wisner, in a statement sent to CBS News. . "Instead of investing in sound scientific bases, they have invested millions of dollars to tackle the sciences that were threatening their trading agenda."
This is the third Roundup-related lawsuit that Monsanto lost in the state of California. Wisner also represented the plaintiffs in the two previous lawsuits. In the first, Dewayne "Lee" Johnson, the school's babysitter, was finally awarded $ 78.5 million. Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2014 and regularly sprayed a high-concentration version of Roundup, known as Ranger Pro, as part of his work from 2012 to 2016.
A jury of a California federal court awarded over $ 80 million to Edwin Hardeman, who was diagnosed with a non-Hodgekin lymphoma in 2015. Hardeman has been using Roundup for over 25 years on his Sonoma property.
Effect of the lawsuits on the course of action Bayer
The lawsuits got the better of Bayer 's shares since she bought Monsanto for $ 63 billion last year, reports the Associated Press.
President Werner Wenning told shareholders at Bayer's annual general meeting last month that the company's executives "very much regret" the fall in share price. At the same time, Managing Director Werner Baumann insisted that "the acquisition of Monsanto was and remains the right choice for Bayer".
Bayer's share price closed Monday at $ 15.91 per share, down 45 cents or 2.76% per share, during trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The verdict was announced after the closing of the trading session, says AP.
[ad_2]
Source link