The jurors punish Monsanto for a record $ 2 billion verdict on the Roundup weed killer. But the story is not over

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And the three juries are on the side of patients – including a California jury that has just awarded $ 2.055 billion in damages.

But Monday's massive verdict is not only the biggest against Monsanto so far. It's also the biggest reward of all personal injury cases this year and the eighth in importance in US history, said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of California. Richmond.

The verdict includes over $ 55 million in compensatory damages for Alva Pilliod and his wife, Alberta Pilliod. The couple, both 70 years old, started using Roundup in the 1970s.

Alva now has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in her bones, including her spine, her lawyers said. Alberta is suffering from brain cancer with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

But that $ 55 million is nothing compared to the $ 2 billion that the jury awarded to the couple in punitive damages to punish Monsanto.

The verdict "also makes it clear that you can get that they have to change what they do," said Brent Wisner, one of the Pilliods' lawyers.

But this story of several billion is far from over.

The couple will probably not be close to $ 2 billion

The EPA has stated that glyphosate does not cause cancer. Others are not so sure

Shortly after the verdict, Bayer – Monsanto's parent company – announced its intention to appeal.

Bayer has long insisted that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, did not cause cancer. He cited the recent announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency that glyphosate is not carcinogenic.

"We are very sympathetic to Mr. and Mrs. Pilliod, but the evidence presented in this case was clear: many history of diseases are known to be substantial risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)," he said. Bayer in a statement.

So, as long as the verdict is on appeal, the Pilliods will not receive the money awarded at that time. And it is extremely likely that a judge will actually reduce that $ 2 billion, Tobias said.

A cancer patient who was awarded $ 289 million said he would take $ 78 million instead.
That's what happened to Dewayne Johnson, the first cancer patient to have led Monsanto into trial on Roundup.

After a jury awarded $ 289 million to the former school gardener, a judge reduced that amount to $ 78 million a few months later. Johnson still has not seen this money because his case is also on appeal.

Tobias said he expects Pilliods' $ 2 billion amount to be canceled as the Supreme Court announced that "punitive damages should not exceed 10 times the damage". -compensatory interest ".

Why this case is different (other than the huge reward)

In the first two roundup trials, "the judges severely limited the amount of evidence provided by the plaintiffs," said Michael Miller, another lawyer representing the Pilliods.

But jurors in the Pilliods case were allowed to see a "mountain of evidence showing that Monsanto had manipulated science, media and regulatory agencies to advance their own agenda," Miller said.

Patients: Roundup gave us cancer because a representative of the EPA helped the company

Wisner said the evidence included emails and text messages between Monsanto and EPA officials.

An investigation by CNN showed that Monsanto's internal emails had raised concerns about the company's relationship with the EPA.
In a 2015 internal email, a Monsanto official wrote that an EPA official, at the time, had offered to help terminate the review of the glyphosate by another agency: "If I can kill that, I should get a medal".
But a spokeswoman for Monsanto said the company had never paid, made any gifts or done anything else to win the favor of anyone from the EPA.

Why glyphosate is still the most used herbicide in the world

According to one report, dozens of other foods at breakfast give positive results looking for traces of glyphosate

Proponents of glyphosate claim that this is essential for global agriculture and helps reduce carbon emissions.

"Without glyphosate, farmers should rely on plowing (or so-called tillage), a weed-killing technique that turns the soil around," Bayer said.

"Tillage generally requires the use of heavy farm machinery, which increases fuel consumption and causes soil disturbance, both of which release greenhouse gases, such as CO2, that contribute to the change. climate. "

Soil disturbance can also cause erosion, which would allow essential nutrients to be washed away by the soil, the company said.

"Glyphosate herbicides allow farmers to control weeds with little or no tillage, which significantly reduces carbon footprints and helps them maintain healthier soil," said Bayer.

US Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, has welcomed the recent announcement from the EPA that glyphosate does not cause cancer.

"If we want to feed 10 billion people by 2050, we will need all the tools at our disposal, including the use of glyphosate," he said.

CNN's Michael Nedelman and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.

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