PA Man Wins $2.25B Case Against Monsanto After Developing Cancer

PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia jury determined that Roundup weed-killer contributed to a man’s cancer, delivering a $2.25 billion verdict last week against the companies Bayer and Monsanto.

Friday’s verdict in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas was in favor of John McKivison, who had sued Monsanto and its parent company Bayer after claiming he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma from decades of using Roundup on his property.

Law firms Kline & Specter and Arnold & Iktin represented the plaintiff in this product liability case. The verdict includes $2 billion in punitive damages and $250 million in compensatory damages, court records show.

Attorneys Tom Kline and Jason Itkin said the jury's punitive damages award "sends a clear message that this multi-national corporation needs top to bottom change" in a statement provided to media and cited by Reuters.

In their own statement, Bayer said they will appeal this decision, as they have done with other Roundup litigation cases.

“(We) believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the unconstitutionally excessive damage award eliminated or reduced,” the company said.

“While we have great sympathy for the plaintiff in this case, we are confident that our products can be used safely and are not carcinogenic, consistent with the assessments of expert regulators worldwide,” Bayer added.