$289m for farmer who sued Monsanto

Weed killer containing glyphosate found responsible for school groundskeeper’s lymphoma

ASan Francisco jury on Friday found Monsanto liable for a school groundskeeper’s lymphoma that he said developed after years of applying the company’s trademarked Roundup weed killer.

The $289-million (Dh1 billion) verdict in San Francisco County Superior Court is certain to add momentum to a multi-front battle to ban Roundup’s main active ingredient, glyphosate.

The compound is applied to millions of hectares of crops, many of which have been genetically modified to withstand the herbicide.

The jury deliberated three days before awarding $39 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages to groundskeeper DeWayne Lee Johnson, 46. He claimed that years of applying Monsanto’s Roundup and Ranger Pro to school properties in a Bay Area suburb of Benicia caused his incurable non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Decision lauded

Activists, who have long battled to ban glyphosate, lauded the decision in the closely watched trial.

“Monsanto made Roundup the OxyContin of pesticides, and now the addiction and damage they caused have come home to roost,” said Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group. “This won’t cure DeWayne Lee Johnson’s cancer, but it will send a strong message to a renegade company.”

The verdict “signals a turning tide,” said Linda Wells, Midwest organising director for Pesticide Action Network.

“It’s time to get carcinogenic pesticides off the market, and fight for the protective regulations we all deserve,” Wells said.

Monsanto, which continues to be run independently after merging earlier this year with German agro-industrial giant Bayer AG, said in a statement that it will appeal the verdict. “We are sympathetic to Mr Johnson and his family,” said Scott Partridge, Monsanto’s vice president of global strategy.