A California appeals court has ruled Bayer must compensate a gardener who is terminally suffering from cancer as a result of long-term exposure to glyphosate-containing Roundup, research has shown.
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Roundup contains glyphosate
/AFP
The case concerns Dewayne Johnson, a California school employee suffering from cancer caused by what he claims is the use of Roundup in gardening work at school.
In August 2018, a U.S. court ordered Bayer to pay $ 289 million in damages, later reduced to $ 78 million, to Johnson.
A landmark case pushed Bayer’s stock prices down. There was also a wave of lawsuits against the concern that bought the American seed and pesticide producer Monsanto in 2018. A Californian appeals court rejected the German concern’s request to start a new trial and confirmed the company’s legal liability. The condition for this is – as the verdict states – that Johnson accepts the settlement, which will award him over $ 20 million. “In our opinion, Johnson has produced abundant – and certainly compelling – evidence that glyphosate, along with other ingredients in Roundup, caused cancer,” the judges said.
Bayer said in a statement that the court’s decision was “a step in the right direction.” Still, he considers the compensation too high and is considering taking the case to the California Supreme Court. According to Bayer research, glyphosate is safe to use. However, other studies show different results.
Bayer, which took over the legal obligations of Roundup after purchasing Monsanto, plans to spend up to $ 10.9 billion on thousands of lawsuit payments. A court ruling confirming the need for the company to pay compensation may result in this amount being insufficient, the Wall Street Journal website notes.
