April 3, 2019 — Lawyers for Monsanto were responsible for splitting a trial over the cancer risks of Roundup into two parts, but legal experts say the strategy backfired when a jury awarded $80 million to a man with lymphoma.
The 2-part trial began in February and ended last week, with a jury in California awarding $80 million to plaintiff Edwin Hardeman, including over $5 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages.
In the first part, the jury unanimously agreed that Roundup was likely a substantial factor in causing Hardeman to develop lymphoma. In the second part, the jury unanimously agreed that Monsanto failed to warn Hardeman about the potential risk of cancer from spraying Roundup.
Last year, Monsanto was bought by Bayer for $63 billion. The company is planning to appeal the $80 million jury award, claiming they have “significant” grounds to challenge the verdict.
The problem, according to legal experts, is that two unanimous jury verdicts will be more difficult for the company to overturn — especially because the jury’s findings were consistent on all counts.
Monsanto may succeed in slashing the total award by appealing the punitive damage award. However, lawyers for Monsanto will find it difficult to overturn the jury’s verdict that Hardeman’s cancer was caused by Roundup.
The Hardeman trial is the second major loss for Monsanto. Last year, another jury awarded $289 million to a groundskeeper who developed lymphoma, although the verdict was later slashed to $79 million. Monsanto is currently facing approximately 11,200 lawsuits from people who developed lymphoma after using Roundup weed-killer.
Do I have a Roundup Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Roundup induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Toxic Chemical Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us a case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
