(VOVWORLD) - A US federal court in San Francisco on Friday denied an appeal by Monsanto in the cancer trial over Roundup weed killer and upheld an award of 25 million USD in damages.
 Bayer has been plagued with legal woos as glyphosate in Roundup weedkiller is suspected of causing cancer. (Photo: Reuters) |
This was the latest setback for Monsanto’s parent, German chemical giant Bayer, in its efforts to put an end more than 13,000 lawsuits over the chemical.
The judge panel affirmed the district court’s judgement in favour of Edwin Hardeman, who blamed the chemical in Roundup for causing his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
According to the federal court, the district court properly denied Monsanto’s appeal because evidence showed the carcinogenic risk of glyphosate was knowable at the time of Hardeman’s exposure.
A jury originally ordered the company to pay 75 million USD, but a judge later reduced that amount. The ruling said 25 million USD in award was acceptable, considering the evidence of Monsanto’s reprehensibility.
In a statement, Bayer expressed its disappointment with the court’s decision, and it would consider appealing to the US Supreme Court.
The agrochemicals and drugs giant has been plagued with legal woos as glyphosate in Roundup weedkiller is suspected of causing cancer. However, Bayer maintains that scientific studies and regulatory approvals show Roundup’s main ingredient is safe.
The company set aside some 11 billion USD to deal with a wave of US lawsuits. In February, it said it had settled some 90,000 of the cases.