Last week, a jury sitting for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California awarded the plaintiff a whopping $80 million in damages for injuries he suffered in connection with his prolonged exposure to the herbicide manufactured by the defendant, The Monsanto Company. The plaintiff, 70-year-old Edwin Hardeman, used Roundup for more than two decades on his 56-acre property.
According to Hardeman’s attorneys, Monsanto’s Roundup – an herbicide using the chemical compound known as glyphosate – was a “substantial factor” that contributed to Hardeman having developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – a type of cancer that affects a person’s lymph nodes and lymphatic system.
Back in 2015, glyphosate was categorized by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a substance that was “probably carcinogenic” to humans. However, according to a representative from Monsanto’s new parent company, Bayer, “the weight of over four decades of extensive science and the conclusions of regulators worldwide” indicate that Monsanto’s Roundup is not carcinogenic.
“We are disappointed with the jury’s decision,” Bayer said in a statement. “The verdict in this trial has no impact on future cases and trials, as each one has its own factual and legal circumstances.”
Bayer has indicated that it will appeal the jury’s verdict. The company previously appealed a jury verdict in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco that awarded roughly $289 million, connecting the plaintiff’s cancer to his exposure Roundup. The judge in that case ultimately reduced the verdict to $78 million.
“It is clear from Monsanto’s actions that it does not care whether Roundup causes cancer,” the law firm representing Hardeman said, according to a statement. “Today, the jury resoundingly held Monsanto accountable for its 40 years of corporate malfeasance and sent a message to Monsanto that it needs to change the way it does business.”
Call an Experienced Houston Workplace Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one suspect that you’ve developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or similar condition as a result of prolonged exposure to Roundup, you need an experienced Houston attorney who can assess the merits of your case. At Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs, we have years of experience advocating for Houston residents in many personal injury matters. Our legal team is dedicated to providing you with compassionate and effective legal representation to help you recover compensatory damages for injuries you sustained due to the malfeasance exhibited by companies like Monsanto.
Call Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs at (713) 751-0025 or contact us online today to speak with one of our skilled workplace injury attorneys.
