Man wins $2.1 billion lawsuit for cancer caused by herbicide

A plaintiff who developed cancer from using Roundup herbicide has won a $2.1 billion lawsuit in the US, while the defendant has announced it will appeal.

Bayer has faced numerous legal battles related to its Roundup herbicide since completing its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018.

A jury in Georgia has ordered Bayer AG (Germany) to pay approximately $2.1 billion to a plaintiff who sued the company over its Roundup herbicide product, alleging it causes cancer.

The ruling, issued on March 21 (local time), includes $65 million in damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, according to Bloomberg, citing a statement from the law firms Arnold & Itkin and Kline & Specter PC, representing the plaintiffs. The statement did not specify the plaintiffs' identities.

Bayer disagrees with the ruling and will appeal, according to a company spokesperson. The company argues that the ruling contradicts scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide.

"We believe we have a strong case in appealing to overturn this ruling and eliminate or reduce the excessive and unconstitutional damages," Reuters quoted the spokesperson as saying in a statement.

Previously, Bayer has successfully reduced total damages by 90% compared to initial jury rulings in cases that have reached final judgments, the company said. The company stated it will continue to "fully uphold the safety of Roundup products" and is in the process of appealing previous cases, potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bayer has faced legal proceedings in the US related to its Roundup herbicide since completing its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018.

While successful in 17 of its 25 most recent court cases on this issue, the company has lost several lawsuits where juries awarded billions of dollars in damages. Even as Bayer has largely reduced those damages, tens of thousands of new plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against the company.

Bayer CEO Bill Anderson has pledged to largely reduce litigation related to its Roundup herbicide by 2026. The company has already spent approximately $10 billion of the $16 billion set aside to settle these lawsuits.

Bayer's stock has fallen more than 70% since finalizing the deal with Monsanto, as many investors believe legal troubles are a deterrent to buying shares in the company.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mot-nguoi-thang-kien-21-ti-usd-vi-bi-ung-thu-do-thuoc-diet-co-185250322205723776.htm