Germany’s Bayer AG has lost a legal dispute in the US over the weed killer Roundup. The company must pay 1.25 million dollars (almost 1.2 million euros) to plaintiff John Durnell. He accuses the agricultural and pharmaceutical company of contracting cancer through contact with the weedkiller Roundup.
The verdict was handed down on Friday by a jury in St. Louis, Missouri. “The client and plaintiff’s attorneys are extremely satisfied and grateful for the verdict after a hard-fought three-week trial,” said Durnell’s attorney, Wylie Blair.
The verdict ends a winning streak for the company, which has seen it win in the previous nine roundup trials. The trial is the first to prove that other chemicals in the herbicide besides Roundup’s main ingredient glyphosate can cause cancer, Blair explains.
The company plans to appeal
Bayer said in a statement that it would appeal. “We remain confident in the safety of Roundup and will defend the safety of our products and our actions in good faith in any future litigation,” the company said.
Lawsuits related to Roundup have plagued Bayer since it acquired the brand as part of a takeover of seed and herbicide maker Monsanto Co. worth $63 billion (almost €60 billion) in 2018. The German company claims that decades of research have shown that Roundup and its active ingredient glyphosate pose no danger to humans.
Fast 40,000 Roundup Complaints
Bayer settled most of the Roundup lawsuits in 2020 for a payment of up to $10.9 billion, but still faces nearly 40,000 Roundup-related lawsuits.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
