California jury awards US$332 million to man who blamed his cancer on use of Monsanto weedkiller

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California jury has awarded US$332 million to a man who sued chemical giant Monsanto Co. contending that his cancer was related to decades of using its Roundup weedkiller.

A San Diego Superior Court jury awarded damages Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by Mike Dennis, 57, of Carlsbad.

He was diagnosed in 2020 with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

His lawsuit contended that his illness was related to Roundup's active ingredient, glyphosate.

Dennis had treatment and has been in remission for nearly three years but there is no cure, Adam Peavy, one of his attorneys, told KNSD-TV.

“His doctors have told him it's going to come back and we're just waiting to see if that happens,” Peavy said.

The jury found that Monsanto, which is now a division of pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Bayer, failed to provide warnings of Roundup's risks. But jurors also ruled partially in Bayer's favour by finding the product design wasn't defective and the company wasn't negligent.

Dennis was awarded US$7 million in compensatory damages and US$325 million in punitive damages.

In a statement to KNSD-TV, Bayer said it believes “we have strong arguments on appeal to get this unfounded verdict overturned and the unconstitutionally excessive damage award eliminated or reduced.”

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.