BREAKING NEWS: Jury Awards Plaintiff $289.2 Million in Roundup Lawsuit

According to numerous news outlets, including CNN and USA Today, a jury in San Francisco awarded a man $289 million in his Roundup lawsuit.  This lawsuit is the first case to go before a jury out of the hundreds of cases filed against Monsanto, the maker of the agricultural weed killer.

Punishing Monsanto for Wrongdoing

Dwayne Johnson, a 46-year old former school groundskeeper, has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His condition is terminal. Many days, Johnson cannot speak, and lesions cover roughly 80 percent of his body.

According to testimony during the trial, jurors heard Johnson explain that he used Roundup weed killer 20 to 30 times per year while performing his job duties as a groundskeeper for a San Francisco school district. During the time he used Roundup weed killer, Johnson said that he was soaked with the product two times since 2012. In 2014, he was diagnosed with the deadly form of cancer.

After eight weeks of testimony and three days of deliberations, the jury delivered a verdict in favor of Johnson. The jury ordered Monsanto to pay $39 million in compensatory damages. However, the jurors added $250 million in punitive damages against Monsanto. Punitive damages are designed to punish a defendant for severe wrongdoing.

Monsanto issued a statement that it continues to stand behind studies that it alleges prove that Roundup does not cause cancer. The company, through a spokesperson, said that Monsanto intends to appeal the decision to continue to defend the safety of its product.

Allegations of Cancer-Causing Ingredient in Roundup Weed Killer

Thousands of Plaintiff’s in lawsuits across the country allege that an ingredient in Roundup causes cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated glyphosate, an active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup, is probably a human carcinogen. Therefore, landscapers, farmers, groundskeepers, gardeners, and others who use Roundup have the risk of developing cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Plaintiffs who have been diagnosed with cancer and other health problems after using Roundup allege that Monsanto knew about the risks of using the product. The lawsuits allege that even though the company knew the ingredients of its Roundup weed killer could cause cancer, the company failed to warn consumers and others about the dangers and risks.

Several studies have been published linking Roundup to cancer. A 1998 Roundup cancer study found that exposure to glyphosate and other herbicides increased the risk of developing hairy cell leukemia (HCL). In a 1999 study, researchers found that exposure to glyphosate increased the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Then, in a 2002 study, researchers combined the results from the prior two studies. When analyzing the combined results, researchers reported that the data suggested exposure to the weed killer Roundup could triple a person’s risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Individuals who are exposed to glyphosate, Roundup’s main ingredient, could develop several types of cancer including:

• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Liver cancer
• Bone cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Colon cancer
• Melanoma
• Kidney cancer
• Pancreatic cancer

Roundup has increased in popularity throughout the United States as a weed killer for lawns and crops, including soybean, corn, and cotton. However, thousands of people have filed individual and class action lawsuits alleging the dangers of using Roundup and the wrongdoing of the product’s manufacturer and others.

Filing a Roundup Lawsuit

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer or other health conditions after being exposed to Roundup, you need to consult with a product liability lawyer now. You may be entitled to significant compensation for your damages. However, your time to file a Roundup claim is limited. Act now to protect your legal rights.

Contact Attorney Gary S. Logsdon for a free consultation with a Roundup lawsuit attorney. Learn about your legal rights and how you can file a claim against Roundup at no initial cost to you.