Jury Finds Glyphosate Herbicide 'Roundup' Linked to Cancer—Bayer to Pay $2.25B
Man claimed to have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from prolonged use of Roundup on his property.
Bayer, the multinational pharmaceutical and agrochemical company, has been ordered to pay a substantial $2.25 billion following a jury’s decision connecting the herbicide Roundup to cancer.
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The verdict includes a staggering $2 billion in punitive damages against Monsanto, a subsidiary of Bayer, in a lawsuit filed by John McKivison.
Bayer is owned by BlackRock, which is partnered with the “Great Reset”-advancing World Economic Forum (WEF). Bayer is also officially allied with the WEF, whose partners “are the driving force behind the Forum’s programs,” according to the group’s website.
McKivison, 49, claimed to have developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma from prolonged use of Roundup on his property.
Jurors in a Pennsylvania court Friday awarded McKivison $250 million to compensate for his losses.
The unanimous decision by the jury, reached in a Philadelphia court, categorically declares Roundup as a cancer-causing product.
It holds Monsanto responsible for negligence and failure to adequately warn about the potential dangers associated with its herbicide.
Attorneys Tom Kline and Jason Itkin, representing McKivison, emphasized the significance of the punitive damages.
They stated that it sends a “clear message that this multi-national corporation needs top to bottom change,” and characterized the verdict as a condemnation of Monsanto’s alleged 50 years of misconduct.
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“The jury spoke very elegantly with their verdict about the lengthy list of misconduct Monsanto engaged in as they recklessly sold this product for more than 50 years and callously endangered the safety of users,” said Kline.
Bayer described the damages as “unconstitutionally excessive.”
The focal point of the legal claims against Monsanto revolves around the herbicide’s active ingredient, glyphosate, introduced in 1974.
Glyphosate inhibits a specific enzyme in plants, preventing their growth.
Despite claims of its safety, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded in 2015 that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
Nevertheless, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the European Commission, and Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency have all cleared glyphosate’s use.
Glyphosate’s contested safety has fueled ongoing legal battles.
Bayer had previously agreed to a $10 billion settlement in 2020, addressing allegations that Roundup causes non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the Washington Post report notes.
However, fresh claims have persisted, and Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has faced legal victories and losses in various cases across different states.
It won a case in California on December 22, lost one in Pennsylvania on December 5, and faced another defeat in Missouri on November 17, according to the company’s reports.
Shares of Bayer dipped nearly 3% ahead of Friday’s verdict, as Bank of America analysts downgraded the company from neutral to underperform.
The downgrade was linked to concerns surrounding the Roundup litigation, impacting Bayer’s financial standing.
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Monsanto’s misconduct go well beyond 50 years.