Bayer/Monsanto must pay $1.5 billion in 3 cases linked to glyphosate use. Many other cases awaiting decision
In a landmark decision, a Missouri jury ordered Bayer AG subsidiary Monsanto to pay more than $1.5 billion in damages to three former users of its Roundup/Glyphosate weedkiller. This ruling, one of Monsanto's biggest trial defeats in the five-year litigation over the herbicide, raises new questions about the safety of the controversial product and the company's future legal challenges.
In a decision last Friday, jurors awarded James Draeger, Valorie Gunther and Dan Anderson $61.1 million in actual damages and a staggering $500 million each in punitive damages. The plaintiffs alleged that years of using Roundup on its properties had led to the emergence of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. This verdict is one of the largest against a U.S. company this year, also eclipsing a significant $1.78 billion verdict in a federal real estate case (which could swell to more than $5 billion), according to reports Bloomberg.
Bayer officials said Saturday that U.S. judges have allowed what they see as a mischaracterization of regulatory decisions on Roundup's safety. Despite recent victories for plaintiffs, the company says it is confident in overturning these verdicts, citing ongoing regulatory support for glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup. Bayer plans to phase out glyphosate from the U.S. consumer market by the end of the year.
Bayer also noted in the statement that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to deem Roundup and its main ingredient, glyphosate, safe, and a federal appeals court recently upheld its denial of requests for Bayer to include safety warnings on its products. distinctive white bottles of the product. The company has agreed to transition the glyphosate-containing version of Roundup to new active herbicide ingredients in the U.S. consumer market by the end of the year. -Bloomberg
Punitive damages in the Missouri case may be subject to reduction, as U.S. Supreme Court rulings generally limit such awards to ten times actual damages. However, Monsanto has previously seen substantial damage awards in similar cases, including a $2 billion verdict in California, later reduced to $87 million.
The weight of inheritance disputes
Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has set aside up to $16 billion for more than 100,000 Roundup cases. The company's legal challenges extend beyond Roundup, encompassing other Monsanto products such as toxic PCBs. With further trials on the horizon in Arkansas and Delaware, Bayer's legal landscape appears increasingly precarious. Obviously if $1.5 billion in compensation is given for only three cases, then $16 billion for 100,000 cases will be a bit insufficient.
Plaintiffs in most Roundup cases allege that Monsanto knew about glyphosate's potential carcinogenic properties and attempted to suppress this information. Internal documents revealed efforts by Monsanto officials to influence scientific studies supporting the safety of glyphosate.
“These are the types of verdicts Bayer can expect in future trials,” said Dallas attorney Jay Utley. “Monsanto has done wrong for so many years by selling Roundup that it is a wonderful thing that a jury will recognize that wrongdoing and punish them for it.”
The Missouri case, which brought together plaintiffs from across the United States, illustrates the widespread use and impact of Roundup. The plaintiffs' diverse backgrounds, from landscapers to homeowners, highlight the broad reach of the herbicide and the potential scope of its health effects.
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Article Bayer/Monsanto must pay $1.5 billion in 3 cases linked to glyphosate use. Many other cases awaiting decision come from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/bayer-monsanto-deve-pagare-15-miliardi-di-dollari-per-3-casi-legati-alluso-di-glifosato-moltissimi-altri-casi-in-attesa-di-decisione/ on Mon, 20 Nov 2023 07:00:39 +0000.