Georgia jury orders Monsanto parent to pay nearly $2.1 billion in Roundup weedkiller lawsuit
A jury in Georgia has ordered Monsanto parent Bayer to pay nearly $2.1 billion in damages to a man who says the company's Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, according to attorneys representing the plaintiff.
The verdict marks the latest in a long-running series of court battles Monsanto has faced over its Roundup herbicide. The agrochemical giant says it will appeal the verdict, reached in a Georgia courtroom late Friday, in efforts to overturn the decision.
The penalties awarded include $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC said in a statement. That marks one of the largest legal settlements reached in a Roundup-related case to date.
Plaintiff John Barnes filed his lawsuit against Monsanto in 2021, seeking damages related to his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Arnold & Itkin attorney Kyle Findley, the lead trial lawyer on the case, said the verdict will help put his client in a better position to get the treatment he needs going forward.
'It's been a long road for him … and he was happy that the truth related to the product (has) been exposed,' Findley told The Associated Press on Sunday. He called the verdict an 'important milestone' after 'another example of Monsanto's refusal to accept responsibility for poisoning people with this toxic product.'
Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has continued to dispute claims that Roundup causes cancer. But the company has been hit with more than 177,000 lawsuits involving the weedkiller and set aside $16 billion to settle cases.
In a statement, Monsanto said Friday's verdict 'conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide.' The company added that it continues 'to stand fully behind the safety' of Roundup products.
For a variety of crops — including corn, soybeans and cotton — Roundup is designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist the weedkiller's deadly effect. It allows farmers to produce more while conserving the soil by tilling it less.
Some studies associate Roundup's key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed.Still, numerous lawsuits over the weedkiller allege glyphosate does cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, arguing that Monsanto has failed to warn the public about serious risks for years.
Findley said that evidence relating to Barnes' case show 'many years of cover-ups' and 'backroom dealings.' He accused Monsanto of ignoring several scientific studies related to the toxicity of Roundup and said the company 'tried to find ways to persuade and distract and deny the connection between this product and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.'
Friday's decision marks the fourth Roundup-related verdict that Findley's team has won to date — the largest of which was awarded in Philadelphia in January 2024, with damages totaling $2.25 billion. And he said his law firm has 'many more clients who are similarly situated as Mr. Barnes.'
Monsanto, meanwhile, also maintains that it 'remains committed to trying cases' — and argues its wider record of Roundup-related litigation continues to reinforce the safety of its products. The company said it has prevailed in 17 of the last 25 related trials, while some previous damage awards have been reduced.
Bayer has recently renewed and expanded an effort across a handful of U.S. states to protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that a product causes cancer, if labeling otherwise complies with EPA regulations. The company and other industry supports argue that litigation costs are unstainable and could impact Roundup's future availability. But opponents stress that such legislation would limit accountability.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Saks Global says it's back on track with vendors, won't close stores
This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Saks Global has mostly smoothed things over with vendors and has no plans to close stores, CEO Marc Metrick told BMO Capital Markets analysts at a recent meeting, according to a Friday client note. The analysts led by Managing Director Simeon Siegel said this suggests 'they are already in the best locations and like their existing fleet.' That includes 33 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 86 off-price Saks Off 5th stores, 36 Neiman Marcus stores, five off-price Neiman Marcus Last Call stores and Bergdorf Goodman's Manhattan flagship. The luxury department store conglomerate didn't immediately respond to an email asking whether this means the downtown Neiman Marcus store in Dallas will remain open beyond 2025 after all. Earlier this year, after announcing that iconic store would close March 31, the company waged a weeks-long battle with city leaders who worked to save it. Ultimately Saks Global agreed to keep the store running through the holidays. The breakdown in relationships with suppliers stemmed from chronic issues with late payments. An unconventional payment plan devised earlier this year signaled to some analysts that the company was struggling to meet its obligations. Metrick told BMO that most vendors agreed to the terms and that Saks Global 'is making progress on outstanding balances.' The company in recent days picked up $350 million in financing commitments that analysts have said likely rescued its ability to stock up for the holiday. Speaking with BMO, Saks executives 'expressed confidence in their liquidity,' on the way to realizing its five-year goal of $600 million in synergies, with $285 million in run-rate synergies by the end of this fiscal year. That five-year target is about $100 million higher than the original target, and the 2025 run-rate is nearly doubled, per BMO. 'While acknowledging macro volatility, Metrick expressed clear excitement and confidence in his long-term business opportunities, the luxury business at large, and expressed confidence in their liquidity and vendor relationships,' Siegel said in the Friday note. Luxury brands may be less optimistic about Saks, however, according to a report from HSBC Global Research analysts led by Erwan Rambourg. New York City-based luxury brand managers have just two major concerns, they found: 'how the well-publicised financial travails of Saks Global will end and the end game for tariffs.' 'The outlook otherwise seems solid,' Rambourg said in emailed comments Thursday. Saks Global appears to be banking on a healthy recovery for luxury consumers — who by Saks' own measure seemed quite agitated earlier in the year — as well as on the strength of the luxury market longer term. BMO cited more up-to-date research from Saks, which found that a third of its customers making $200,000 or more are less confident about the economy in general but more confident about their own situation. These consumers are concerned about the social/political climate above all, then a recession and stock market volatility, per that report. At least for the moment, the stock market is leaning their way, and therefore in Saks Global's favor. In May and June, U.S. equity markets have broadly recouped earlier losses, according to HSBC. 'Of course there are other topics dominating headlines in the US at present, but it seems that luxury consumers are driven more by short-term measures of wealth, such as the value of their 401k pension plans,' Rambourg said. Tariffs and higher prices are not top worries for Saks' customers, per its research. BMO analysts estimate that about 80% of its goods come from Europe, and Saks Global told them that high-single digit percentage price hikes, which they characterized as 'normal,' would mostly offset increased import levies. Recommended Reading Beyond to acquire Kirkland's IP for $5M — and plans to license it back Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
FDNY chaplain's signature forged on letter backing Queens pot dispensary
They'll burn for this one! The owners of a legal Queens marijuana dispensary are under fire for allegedly trying to dupe government officials to back their expansion efforts — by claiming the FDNY's top religious leader is high on the plan. A recently circulated letter supporting Astoria-based Terp Bros' application to open a second dispensary in Ozone Park that was 'purportedly authored and signed' by FDNY Chaplain Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, 'appears to be a forgery,' warned FDNY Deputy Commissioner of General Counsel Don Nguyen in a June 5 letter to Queens Community Board 10. Advertisement The FDNY has 'no position' in general on applications to run cannabis dispensaries in the Big Apple, he added in the letter, obtained by The Post. 3 FDNY Chaplain Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello told The Post he wasn't aware of the letter. Stefano Giovannini The bogus letter addressed to 'legislators, Community Boards and the NYS Office of Cannabis Management' claimed Gigantiello is pushing Terp Bros' plan because 'safe use of Hemp and other Cannabis plants is long overdue.' Advertisement 'We must help those like Terp Bros gain the opportunity to continue working with the community in providing them with a safe, legal way to purchase cannabis and cannabis-related products,' the faux holy man wrote. Terp Bros' co-owners Jeremy Rivera and Alessandro Cottone opened their pot shop at 3610 Ditmars Blvd. in October 2023. In April, Time Out magazine ranked it New York's ninth best weed dispensary out the state's 405 licensed cannabis shops. The letter tries to portray Rivera — an ex-con who spent 11 years in jail for criminal possession of controlled substances and robbery — as a sympathetic figure. 3 Jeremy Rivera and Alessandro Cottone opened their Astoria pot shop in October 2023 and earlier this year, Time Out magazine ranked it New York's ninth best weed dispensary out the state's 405 licensed cannabis shops. Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock Advertisement He, 'his family, and many others like him have paid a great price caused by wrongful and failed policy targeting minorities and the failed war on drugs as it pertains to hemp and other cannabis,' it reads. Gigantiello insisted to The Post he didn't write or authorize the letter — and never even heard of the weed joint until learning of the letter. 'I had no idea. Someone shouldn't be using using my name in any form,' added the monsignor, who made headlines two years after being relieved of his administrative duties for allowing pop star Sabrina Carpenter to film a racy music video inside Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Williamsburg. 3 Owners of the popular shop didn't respond to messages seeking comment. Helayne Seidman Advertisement The board rejected the pot shop's application in January — and said it didn't get the letter until only a few weeks ago. Board members showed the letter to NYC Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Queens), who alerted the Fire Department. 'It's very telling that someone would fake a letter from a monsignor because they couldn't deal with the results of a community board vote,' Ariola said. 'If they didn't like the way the board voted, I get it, but forging a letter from an FDNY chaplain is the absolute worst way to try and change their opinion.' The state's Office of Cannabis Management will ultimately decide whether to approve the plan. Messages left for Terp Bros' owners were not returned.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Germany sees limited financial leeway on next EU budget, policy paper shows
By Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany wants the European Union's next seven-year budget to keep a lid on spending, according to a policy paper seen by Reuters on Saturday, with Berlin arguing members do not have room to boost the scope of their contributions. The German economy, Europe's largest, has contracted for the past two years and forecasts for 2025 are modest. That has dragged on growth in much of the bloc and meant the German government is entering the budget talks cautiously. "For the foreseeable future, member states' financial leeway will remain limited. There is no basis for increasing the (EU budget's) volume relative to GNI (Gross National Income)," the policy paper from the bloc's biggest budget contributor says. A German government source confirmed the paper was sent to Brussels on Thursday. Negotiations are just starting on the next EU budget period from 2028 to 2034, which covers a sum of about 1.2 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion). EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said last month the budget must be more flexible and focused. Budget talks are contentious within the 27-nation EU, pitting the biggest net budget contributors against poorer net beneficiaries and traditional sectors like agriculture against the need to develop cutting-edge new technologies. The German paper said the next budget should reinforce EU security and defence powers as well as competitiveness. "The EU and its member states must assume greater responsibility for security and defence," it said, noting that the budget must continue support for Ukraine. The document also underlined Germany's aversion to jointly issued debt, saying repayments to the so-called Next Generation EU (NGEU) programme, a pandemic recovery scheme financed by jointly backed bonds, should begin as of 2028. "The federal government rejects a perpetuation of this extraordinary and temporary instrument; an extension is legally excluded," it said. ($1 = 0.8657 euros) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
