- A Georgia jury ordered Bayer to pay $2.1 billion to a plaintiff who claimed Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, one of the largest verdicts yet.
- Bayer plans to appeal, arguing the ruling contradicts scientific evidence and regulatory findings, as lawsuits over Roundup continue to mount.
Bayer was ordered by a jury in the US state of Georgia to pay approximately $2.1 billion to a plaintiff who claimed that the company’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, marking one of the largest verdicts in the ongoing legal battles over the product.
The decision, announced late Friday by the plaintiff’s law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC, adds to Bayer’s mounting legal troubles.
The company, which acquired Roundup in its $63 billion takeover of Monsanto in 2018, has already paid about $10 billion to settle disputed claims. However, more than 60,000 cases are still pending, with Bayer setting aside $5.9 billion to cover potential liabilities.
In this latest case, the jury awarded $65 million in compensatory damages and a staggering $2 billion in punitive damages. Bayer swiftly responded, stating it would appeal the ruling. The company argued the verdict contradicts scientific evidence and global regulatory assessments.
“We believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the excessive and unconstitutional damage awards eliminated or reduced,” Bayer said in a statement.
While this verdict is among the most significant in the Roundup lawsuits, Bayer has had some success in reducing damages through appeals. The company noted that in cases with final judgments, awards have been cut by an average of 90% compared to initial jury decisions.
The case is the latest chapter in Bayer’s ongoing struggle to move past the legal fallout from its Monsanto acquisition. As lawsuits continue to pile up, the company remains locked in a battle over the safety of its widely used herbicide.
Edited by Harshajit Sarmah
