(Patriot.Buzz) – In a huge court ruling siding with an affected customer, a major pharmaceutical and chemical company has been ordered by a Pennsylvania jury to pay a staggering $2.25 billion.
The decision against giant Bayer came after the jury unanimously agreed that the company’s Roundup weed killer was responsible for giving 49-year-old John McKivinson cancer.
McKivinson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He filed a lawsuit against Monsanto, the original maker of Roundup, and its current parent company, Bayer. He claimed that his cancer developed after using Roundup on his property for 20 years.
His lawyers from Kline & Specter revealed that the enormous amount of money awarded includes $2 billion in punitive damages. The jury also concluded that Monsanto did not effectively warn customers about the risks of using Roundup.
According to McKivinson’s attorneys, the jury’s decision is a clear message about the company’s blatant disregard for human safety, significantly contributing to McKivinson’s cancer.
However, the legal process is still ongoing. Bayer can challenge the decision and the amount of damages through post-trial motions before McKivinson receives any payment.
Since acquiring Monsanto in 2018, Bayer has faced a series of lawsuits regarding Roundup. Despite claiming that the awarded damages are “unconstitutionally excessive,” Bayer recently lost several cases, including three where it had to pay over $500 million.
In other related cases, a Missouri jury found Monsanto liable for negligence and failing to warn users about Roundup’s dangers. Three individuals were awarded significant sums in compensatory and punitive damages after claiming that Roundup caused their non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Roundup is the most popular weed killer in the United States. Although it contains about 41% glyphosate, Bayer maintains that glyphosate is safe for humans. However, the plaintiffs in these cases argued that exposure to the chemical led to their cancer.
Before these recent legal losses, Bayer had a streak of legal victories when it won nine consecutive trials. However, in 2020, the company settled most of the pending Roundup lawsuits for up to $10.9 billion.
Despite the settlements, around 50,000 claims are still pending. Additionally, regulatory filings indicate 165,000 personal injury claims against Bayer regarding Roundup. This stems from Bayer’s $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018, which included Roundup and the ongoing legal battles.
