On August 10, 2018, a jury in San Francisco ruled that Monsanto, creator of Roundup, a popular and controversial herbicide, is responsible for plaintiff Dewayne Johnson’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According to Johnson, he used Roundup for years during his tenure as a school groundskeeper. In court, Johnson’s legal team argued that glyphosate, an active ingredient in Roundup, has a negative reaction when mixed with the product’s other chemical components, ultimately creating a weed-killer that is likely carcinogenic.
The jury unanimously agreed that Monsanto demonstrated great negligence in failing to warn the public that use of their product may lead to cancer. They awarded Johnson $250 million in punitive damages and $39 million in compensatory damages. However, Monsanto is standing by the safety of their product and is preparing to appeal the verdict. Unfortunately, the company is still refusing to add warning labels to their products.
Monsanto has been suffering under great public scrutiny since May 2017, when CNN reported that over 800 cancer victims have filed lawsuits against the company. Since that report, the number of lawsuits has grown to nearly 9,000 because cancer victims, widows, and estates are choosing to take legal action against the company.
Since 1985, scientific reports have strongly suggested that using glyphosate products may result in long-term health complications. In response, Monsanto has ghostwritten and falsified reports in an attempt to contradict these unfavorable findings. The Dewayne Johnson v Monsanto Company verdict may be a consolatory victory for Johnson, but it’s only the first of many product liability lawsuits targeting Monsanto.
Seek Legal Justice
Establishing liability can be incredibly difficult in a product liability case. In this situation, Monsanto’s failure to warn the public about potential risk factors is the reason the jury awarded Johnson damages.
If you or a loved one has been injured because of a dangerous or defective product, contact the Northern California product liability attorneys at The Law Offices of Larry S. Buckley. We represent clients who are interested in filing product liability claims based on manufacturing defects, design defects, and, of course, failure to warn.
Contact our Northern California product liability lawyers at (530) 413-0245 to schedule a free consultation.