Record-Breaking Verdict: Pennsylvania Groundskeeper Awarded $2.25 Billion in Roundup Cancer Lawsuit Against Bayer
A Pennsylvania groundskeeper, John McKivison, is set to become a billionaire after a court ruled that Bayer’s weed killer, Roundup, was responsible for his blood cancer.
The landmark verdict mandates Bayer to pay $2.25 billion, comprising $2 billion in punitive damages and $250 million in compensatory damages.
This payout is believed to be the largest ever awarded to an individual for company negligence.
Bayer’s Denial and Plans to Appeal: Company Insists Roundup Is Not a Carcinogen
Bayer, the manufacturer of Roundup, has vehemently denied health officials’ warnings that glyphosate, the key ingredient in the weed killer, is a carcinogen.
The company plans to appeal the ruling, labeling the sum as ‘unconstitutionally excessive.’ Despite refuting claims of Roundup’s carcinogenic nature, Bayer has settled previous disputes related to cancer links, amounting to over $10 billion.
Negligence Allegations: Court Condemns 50 Years of Misconduct by Monsanto and Bayer
John McKivison’s successful argument in court centered on allegations of negligence by Monsanto and its parent company, Bayer.
Attorneys for McKivison, Tom Kline and Jason Itkin, declared the jury’s unanimous verdict as a condemnation of 50 years of misconduct, asserting that it was in reckless disregard of human safety and a substantial cause of McKivison’s cancer.
Roundup Continues Sales Despite Legal Battles: Bayer Challenges Scientific Assessments
Despite multiple legal setbacks and hefty payouts, Bayer continues to sell Roundup in various retail spaces.
The company maintains that Roundup does not contain carcinogens, challenging scientific assessments that led to warnings, including one from the World Health Organization in 2015.
While California listed glyphosate as a cancer-causing ingredient, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reaffirmed in 2019 that glyphosate does not cause cancer.
Ongoing Legal Reckoning: Previous Roundup Cases and Massive Payouts
This latest verdict adds to Bayer’s series of legal challenges related to Roundup.
In 2019, a San Francisco appeals court upheld an $86 million sum granted to a couple who claimed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma due to 30 years of using the glyphosate-based lawn treatment.
In 2018, terminally ill Dewayne Johnson won $289 million in a landmark case, marking the first trial alleging a cancer link from Roundup.
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Understanding the Disease and Glyphosate’s Role
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, an umbrella term for over 30 types of cancer, has been linked to exposure to cancer-causing chemicals like glyphosate, the primary component in Roundup.
While glyphosate’s carcinogenic nature remains disputed, legal battles and scientific assessments continue to shape the narrative surrounding the weed killer’s safety.
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