On August 10, 2018, a jury in San Francisco, California awarded $289 million in damages to a former school groundskeeper whose terminal cancer was caused by exposure to RoundUp, the weed killer produced by Monsanto. (The verdict form, as well as other trial documents may be found here. A video of the jury’s verdict can be found here.)
After 2½ years of regularly using RoundUp, Dewayne Johnson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The World Health Organization, warns that glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp and many other herbicides, is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Experts determined that glyphosate was a cause of Mr. Johnson’s cancer. Mr. Johnson provided reports to Monsanto, but they did not contact him. The jury found that Monsanto knew or could have known that the chemical was dangerous but hid that fact from consumers. It found that Monsanto unreasonably failed to warn of the potential risks. It also found that Monsanto’s conduct was malicious or oppressive. As a result, the jury awarded Mr. Johnson $39 million in compensatory damages and $250,000,000 in punitive damages.
Do you suffer from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and believe that exposure to Roundup may have contributed to your disease? Contact our experienced team of attorneys for a free, no-risk consultation and learn more about your options. Shaheen and Gordon is actively pursuing cases against the makers of RoundUp and other herbicides that contain glyphosate.
