“Georgia Jury Awards $2.1 Billion in Roundup Weedkiller Lawsuit Against Monsanto Parent”

NEW YORK – Bayer, the parent company of Monsanto, has been ordered by a Georgia jury to pay almost $2.1 billion in compensatory and punitive damages to a man who claims that he developed cancer due to the company’s popular weed killer Roundup, as confirmed by the plaintiff’s legal team.

This ruling is the latest development in a series of legal battles that Monsanto has been embroiled in regarding its Roundup herbicide. Bayer has stated its intention to challenge the decision, which was handed down in a Georgia court on Friday.

The awarded damages consist of $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, as disclosed by law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC. This settlement represents one of the largest sums agreed upon in a case related to Roundup so far.

Plaintiff John Barnes filed his lawsuit against Monsanto in 2021, seeking damages related to his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Arnold & Itkin attorney Kyle Findley, the lead trial lawyer on the case, said the verdict will help put his client in a better position to get the treatment he needs going forward.

“It’s been a long road for him … and he was happy that the truth related to the product (has) been exposed,” Findley told The Associated Press on Sunday. He called the verdict an “important milestone” after “another example of Monsanto’s refusal to accept responsibility for poisoning people with this toxic product.”

Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has continued to dispute claims that Roundup causes cancer. But the company has been hit with more than 177,000 lawsuits involving the weedkiller and set aside $16 billion to settle cases.

In a statement, Monsanto said Friday’s verdict “conflicts with the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence and the consensus of regulatory bodies and their scientific assessments worldwide.” The company added that it continues “to stand fully behind the safety” of Roundup products.

For a variety of crops — including corn, soybeans and cotton — Roundup is designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist the weedkiller’s deadly effect. It allows farmers to produce more while conserving the soil by tilling it less.

Some studies associate Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, with cancer, although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed. Still, numerous lawsuits over the weedkiller allege glyphosate does cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma, arguing that Monsanto has failed to warn the public about serious risks for years.

Findley said that evidence relating to Barnes’ case show “many years of cover-ups” and “backroom dealings.” He accused Monsanto of ignoring several scientific studies related to the toxicity of Roundup and said the company “tried to find ways to persuade and distract and deny the connection between this product and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

Friday’s decision marks the fourth Roundup-related verdict that Findley’s team has won to date — the largest of which was awarded in Philadelphia in January 2024, with damages totaling $2.25 billion. And he said his law firm has “many more clients who are similarly situated as Mr. Barnes.”

Monsanto, meanwhile, also maintains that it “remains committed to trying cases” — and argues its wider record of Roundup-related litigation continues to reinforce the safety of its products. The company said it has prevailed in 17 of the last 25 related trials, while some previous damage awards have been reduced.

Bayer has recently renewed and expanded an effort across a handful of U.S. states to protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that a product causes cancer, if labeling otherwise complies with EPA regulations. The company and other industry supports argue that litigation costs are unstainable and could impact Roundup’s future availability. But opponents stress that such legislation would limit accountability.