News

Monsanto appeals Roundup judgment in California

Monsanto is appealing the 78 million dollar judgment awarded to a California man who convinced a jury that Roundup caused his cancer.

In August, a San Francisco jury found that Roundup caused DeWayne Johnson’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and awarded him 289 million dollars. The judge later reduced that amount to 78 million saying it exceeded the maximum allowed.

In a statement, Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in June, said the liability verdict and reduced damage award are not supported by the evidence presented at the trial.

The company has also asked the appellate court to reconsider a previously denied motion for a new trial.

Here’s is Bayer’s statement, in its entirety:

“We continue to believe that the liability verdict and reduced damage award are not supported by the evidence at trial or the law, and we have filed an appeal with the California Court of Appeal. While the trial judge’s decision to reduce the punitive damage award by more than $200 million is a step in the right direction, the fact remains that none of the science presented at trial supports the conclusion that glyphosate or the Roundup formulation was a substantial cause of Mr. Johnson’s NHL. Moreover, plaintiff’s own experts admitted at trial that the epidemiological evidence fails to prove that glyphosate causes cancer. The trial judge herself raised concerns about the adequacy of the evidence – among other concerns – in her tentative ruling on our post-trial motions yet did not address most of these issues in her final ruling. Bayer stands behind the safety of glyphosate and will continue to vigorously defend our glyphosate-based products.

“Glyphosate-based herbicides have been used safely and successfully for over four decades worldwide and are a valuable tool to help farmers deliver crops to markets and practice sustainable farming by reducing soil tillage, soil erosion and carbon emissions. There is an extensive body of research on glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides, including more than 800 rigorous studies submitted to EPA, European and other regulators in connection with the registration process, that confirms that these products are safe when used as directed. Notably, the largest and most recent epidemiologic study – the 2018 independent National Cancer Institute long-term study that followed over 50,000 pesticide applicators and was published after the IARC monograph – found no association between glyphosate-based herbicides and cancer. Additionally, EPA’s 2017 post-IARC cancer risk assessment examined more than 100 studies the agency considered relevant and concluded that glyphosate is ‘not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,’ its most favorable rating.”