Aug 13, 2018

Monsanto ordered to pay cancer patient $289M

National media reported Friday that a San Francisco jury handed down a $289 million judgment to a former school groundskeeper who had sued Monsanto.

Dewayne Johnson, who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, had sued the agriculture company claiming his condition was at least in part caused by his regular exposure to popular herbicides Roundup and Ranger Pro.

Monsanto Vice President Scott Partridge issued a written statement after judgment:

“We are sympathetic to Mr. Johnson and his family. Today’s decision does not change the fact that more than 800 scientific studies and reviews – and conclusions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and regulatory authorities around the world – support the fact that glyphosate does not cause cancer, and did not cause Mr. Johnson’s cancer. We will appeal this decision and continue to vigorously defend this product, which has a 40-year history of safe use and continues to be a vital, effective, and safe tool for farmers and others.”

Thousands of similar cases against Monsanto are have been filed in other states, lawyers told national media.