The weed-killing chemical marketed as Roundup is at the heart of growing litigation concerning allegations that it causes cancer. Claimants around the country argue that manufacturer Monsanto failed to adequately warn about the carcinogenic risks associated with glyphosate – the key ingredient in the popular herbicide.
In October 2018, Monsanto was hit with a $289 million verdict in one of the first Roundup cancer lawsuits to go to trial. The plaintiff, a former school groundskeeper named Dewayne Johnson who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after years of using the weed killer, prevailed in a California trial after just three days of deliberations. The trial marks a significant victory for other plaintiffs with similar allegations against Monsanto, who await their day in court.
This lawsuit is just the first phase in what will likely be a massive legal battle over glyphosate and its current product labeling and approved uses in the United States.
Crivella.Ai artificial intelligence is at the very heart of plaintiff's lawyers capabilities to understand and make sense of millions of pages of produced Monsanto documents and to manage increasingly complex topography of developing litigations.
Here are important facts about Roundup cancer litigation:
More than 4,000 complaints are pending
Johnson’s case is joined by more than 4,000 other Roundup claims alleging the product causes cancer. Many of these suits are pending in states like Missouri, Montana, Delaware, Arizona and Nebraska. Hundreds more have been consolidated in San Francisco Superior Court before Judge Vince Chhabria.
CA verdict bodes well for future Roundup cases
Jurors awarded Johnson, who was not expected to live through the end of trial, $39 million for compensatory damages and another $250 million to punish Monsanto for willfully failing to warn of Roundup’s risks. While Monsanto is appealing the judgement, this verdict sent a powerful message to the agrochemical giant.
Juries are not asked to determine if Roundup causes cancer
Jurors are not tasked with determining if glyphosate exposure causes cancer. They are instead asked to determine if Monsanto had scientific knowledge of the product’s risks and if they failed to caution consumers about these dangers.
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Plaintiffs’ Co-Lead Counsel and Co-Chair of the Executive Committee - RoundUp Products Liability Litigation (MDL 2741)
