A jury in California has ordered Bayer-owned Monsanto to pay more than $2 billion damages to a couple who sued on grounds the weed killer Roundup caused their cancer, lawyers said.
The award was the latest in a series of court defeats for Monsanto over Roundup. The company insists the glyphosate-based product is not linked to cancer.
The couple's legal team described the damages award as "historic," saying it totaled $2.055 billion after adding in slightly more than $55 million in compensatory damages.
It’s the largest jury award in the United States so far this year and the eighth largest payout in a product default case ever.
"The jury saw for themselves internal company documents demonstrating that, from day one, Monsanto has never had any interest in finding out whether Roundup is safe," said plaintiff's counsel Brent Wisner.
"Instead of investing in sound science, they invested millions in attacking science that threatened their business agenda."
In a statement, Bayer said it was disappointed with the jury's decision and would appeal the verdict, which it argues was at odds with a recent US Environmental Protection Agency review of glyphosate-based weed killers.
"The consensus among leading health regulators worldwide is that glyphosate-based products can be used safely and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic," Bayer said.
The verdict in a California state court in Oakland was the third courtroom defeat for Bayer in cases accusing the chemicals in Roundup of causing cancer.
Bayer announced last month that over 13,000 lawsuits related to the weedkiller had been launched in the US.
Glyphosate could still be affecting Australians
Last year, The Feed spoke to Australian farmers, Ron and Tralee Snape, who have used the weed killer Roundup on their 350 acre farm for decades.
In 2010, Tralee was diagnosed with with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and the family oncologist initially told the couple Tralee had ‘farmer cancer’.
“I just wracked my mind and I just come straight back to the, to the chemicals we were using,” says Ron Snape told The Feed.
Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) maintains Roundup is safe.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) also backed APVMA and Monsanto.
“Well, we have to have faith in Australia […] every regulator around the world has looked at this substance over the last 40 years and found that particularly if used in the way that we use it is safe,” says NFF President, Fiona Simson.
In October 2018, the Australian Cancer Council called for an independent review into the safety of glyphosate.
In response to the call, said, “The science of the independent regulator says this chemical is safe if you follow the instructions."
"I just say to everyone calm down ... and have faith that we have the best science in the world."
In 2015, the World Health Organisation classified glyphosate as ‘probably carcinogenic’.
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