USA: Monsanto Roundup verdict
In another important case involving glyphosate (see previous case reported in SafetyNet 453), a federal jury in San Francisco has found Monsanto's Roundup herbicide was a substantial factor in causing the cancer of a California man. This is a landmark verdict that could affect hundreds of other cases - and not only in the USA.
Edwin Hardeman of Santa Rosa was the first person to challenge Monsanto's Roundup in a federal trial and alleged that his exposure to Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a cancer that affects the immune system. In the next phase of the case, the jury will weigh liability and damages, and Hardeman's lawyers will present arguments about Monsanto's influence on government regulators and cancer research.
The 70-year old man's case is considered a "bellwether" trial for hundreds of other plaintiffs in the US with similar claims, which means the verdict could affect future litigation and other cancer patients and families. Monsanto, now owned by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer, is facing more than 9,000 similar lawsuits across the US. Read more: Monsanto: Roundup substantial factor in man's cancer, jury finds in key verdict.The Guardian