Jury agrees that Monsanto Roundup Weedkillers link to cancer. Awarded man $289.2 million dollars
In a landmark verdict in the case against Monsanto on Friday, a jury awarded a former Benicia School District groundskeeper with terminal cancer.
Dewayne Lee Johnson, 46, is a father of three and began job began in 2012. He worked as a groundskeeper and pest manager for the school district in Benicia, a suburb just north of San Francisco. A large part of his job was to spray these products in bulk 30 times a year.
Mr Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014.
Jury awarded a former Benicia School District groundskeeper Dewayne Lee Johnson, 46 with terminal cancer $289.2 million dollars
He testified that it involved him spraying herbicide to control weeds on school grounds, sometimes for several hours a day. After two and a half years into the job, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He argued that his exposure to the chemicals caused non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a blood cell cancer.
Johnson’s case was particularly significant because a judge allowed his team to present scientific arguments. The dispute centered on glyphosate, which is the world’s most widely used herbicide.
During the lengthy trial, Johnson’s attorneys brought forward internal emails from Monsanto executives that they said demonstrated how the corporation repeatedly ignored experts’ warnings, sought favorable scientific analyses and helped to “ghostwrite” research that encouraged continued usage.
Dewayne Lee Johnson before his cancer diagnosis
The jury verdict, in San Francisco Superior Court, is the latest setback for Monsanto, now part of Bayer AG BAYRY, -3.66% , as its flagship weed killer Roundup comes under increased scrutiny following the 2015 determination from the World Health Organization that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides, is probably carcinogenic.
On Friday August 10th, in the first of thousands of lawsuits to go to trial, the jury unanimously found that the company’s Ranger Pro and Roundup products presented a “substantial danger” to consumers, and that Monsanto knew or should have known of potential risks and failed to warn consumers like Dewayne “Lee” Johnson.
“I think it’s exactly like the tobacco trials. Monsanto, for 40 years, has been taking the playbook from the tobacco industry, ghostwriting science, buying science, using all the different PR strategies and the legal strategies to confuse the science to blur the science and I’m so glad that this jury held them accountable,” said Johnson’s attorney, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
When he took the Stand, he talked about his pain and suffering as skin lesions took over his body.
“I’ve been going through a lot of pain,” Johnson, who goes by the name Lee, testified weeks earlier. “It really takes everything out of you. I’m not getting any better.”
He also testified that Monsanto should not have let him use the herbicide near schoolchildren, saying: “I never would’ve sprayed that product on school grounds or around people if I knew it would cause them harm.”
Johnson’s attorneys says that $289 million verdict means he will be able to afford some cutting edge treatments. Johnson may have just months to live, according to his doctors. His wife testified that she has had to work two jobs, sometimes with 14-hour days, to help pay for the medical bills.
Monsanto VP Scott Partridge said, “No, it’s not a fair analysis at all. We all know tobacco causes cancer, glyphosate does not cause cancer. It’s been perfectly safe and that’s been demonstrated for more than four decades. I don’t know how they got it wrong but they did, they got it wrong.”
He said they will appeal this case. He also said they have no plans to settle future cases in light of Friday’s verdict.Monsanto’s VP Scott Partidge released a statement regarding Friday’s verdict:
“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.”
Monsanto is a US based Company initially founded as a chemical company. It later moved into agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology.
Monsanto developed Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide in the 1970s, and became a major producer of genetically engineered crops. Monsanto was one of four groups to introduce genes into plants (1983), and was among the first to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops, (1987).
It is the world’s largest distributor of Genetically Modified (GM) seeds.
What is glyphosate?
Glyphosate is an herbicide. It is applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses. The sodium salt form of glyphosate is used to regulate plant growth and ripen fruit.
Glyphosate was first registered for use in the U.S. in 1974. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. People apply it in agriculture and forestry, on lawns and gardens, and for weeds in industrial areas. Some products containing glyphosate control aquatic plants.
What are some products that contain glyphosate?
Glyphosate comes in many forms, including an acid and several salts. These can be either solids or an amber-colored liquid. There are over 750 products containing glyphosate for sale in the United States.