Man wins R4bn in cancer claim

MONSANTO was socked with $289 million (R4.05 billion) in damages in the first trial over claims that its Roundup weed killer causes cancer. Lee Johnson, a former school grounds keeper whose doctors didn’t think he’d live long enough learn the verdict, prevailed on Friday in San Francisco state court after jurors deliberated for three days. The trial was an important test of the evidence against Monsanto and will serve as a template for litigating thousands of other claims over the herbicide. Johnson was seeking $412m in damages.–