Roundup-Cancer Lawsuit Hits Bayer with $337 Million Penalty

A California jury ruled Bayer responsible for the development of a man’s cancer as a result of exposure to Bayer’s Roundup herbicide. The company has been directed to pay a total of $332 million in damages.

The breakdown of the damages reveals $325 million as punitive damages, with an additional $7 million as compensatory damages. These were awarded to, Mike Dennis, who received a diagnosis of a type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 51.

The jury of the San Diego County Superior Court determined that Monsanto, now owned by Bayer, did not adequately alert users about Roundup’s potential health hazards. However, they did not conclude that Monsanto was negligent in the herbicide’s design.

In response to the verdict, a representative from Bayer expressed their disagreement, stating:

“We respectfully disagree with the jury’s adverse verdict, though it found in favor of the company on two of the four claims

… [we have] strong arguments on appeal to get this unfounded verdict overturned and the unconstitutionally excessive damage award eliminated or reduced, given that there were significant and reversible legal and evidentiary errors made during this trial,”

The company remains confident in its position, believing it possesses compelling grounds for an appeal. They aim to challenge this verdict, particularly the substantial damage award, citing significant legal and evidentiary discrepancies during the trial.

This verdict marks Bayer’s third trial setback in the current month, following judgments of $175 million and $1.25 million in two distinct Roundup-related trials.

In the verdict from St. Louis, Missouri, Bayer was instructed to compensate John Durnell with $1.25 million over an alleged link between Roundup and his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer.

Of course, there have been several connections made between cancer development and exposure to pesticides like Roundup. Highlighting just a couple, an arm of the World Health Organization deemed glyphosate ‘probably carcinogenic’ years ago. About a year later, California decided to slap a cancer-warning label on glyphosate-containing products.

There are plenty of other examples here at Natural Society.

In the other, a jury in Philadelphia held Bayer accountable for a lawsuit where the plaintiff alleged that his cancer diagnosis was a direct result of prolonged exposure to the Roundup herbicide.

The shadow of Roundup-related litigations has loomed over Bayer ever since its acquisition of Monsanto in 2018, a deal valued at $63 billion.