Bayer Ordered to Pay $175 Million in Roundup Cancer Lawsuit

Verdict includes $25 million in compensatory damages and $150 million in punitive damages for retired restaurant owner Ernest Caranci, who claims use of the weed killer led to his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Bayer to appeal decision amidst almost 40,000 similar pending cases.

• Ernest Caranci, a retired restaurant owner, has been awarded $175 million in damages by a Philadelphia jury who found that his cancer resulted from exposure to Bayer AG's Roundup weed killer; this includes $25 million in compensatory and $150 million in punitive damages.
• Caranci, who used the weed killer in his garden for years, attributed his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to the chemical exposure, stating he used more than 500 gallons of Roundup between 1989 and 2014 without any recommended protective equipment.
• Monsanto, the original maker of Roundup until its purchase by Bayer in 2018, developed the key ingredient in the herbicide, glyphosate, in the 1970s. Roundup is now sold in more than 160 countries and remains the most widely used herbicide worldwide.
• While Bayer has maintained that studies have proven Roundup and glyphosate to be safe for human use, it still faces nearly 40,000 similar claims related to the product. The company has handled numerous lawsuits involving Roundup, paying up to $10.9 billion in settlements in 2020.
• Despite the lawsuit's outcome, Bayer plans to appeal the ruling, expressing confidence they can overturn the 'unfounded verdict' and have the 'excessive damage awards' decreased.

3 Articles

The Telegraph The Philadelphia Inquirer Reuters