Once again, in a glyphosate trial in the US, the originally imposed fine was drastically reduced against the Bayer subsidiary Monsanto.
US judge Winifred Smith cut the total from about two billion dollars to 86.7 million dollars (77.8 million euros), but also rejected a request from the company for a new process. The chemical company announced today appeal.
The focus is on the glyphosate agent Roundup of the manufacturer Monsanto. The German entrepreneur Bayer had bought the US seed manufacturer for $ 63 billion last year and has been under enormous pressure ever since. In the US, the company faces thousands of lawsuits. The patients responsible for their cancer, the drug glyphosate.
For this reason, Monsanto has been convicted three times in the US, most recently in May in the case of a married couple who had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The two account for Roundup, which they have used since 1982 for weed control. The sentence for Monsanto and the compensation to the two seniors have now been reduced by the judge in California – partly because of the disproportionate nature of the previously imposed sum.
Court sees „decisive evidence“
At the same time, the court confirmed that there was „decisive evidence“ that Roundup was actually responsible for the disease. The manufacturer should have warned users of the risks, wrote the judge in the judgment. Similarly, the plaintiffs in the process had argued.
There is also evidence that Monsanto had information that was not available to science and the medical community, and that the company had attempted to „prevent“ or „distort“ scientific research. Monsanto had made initial studies on glyphosate, but then did not do further research when there was evidence of a possible carcinogenic effect, Judge Smith accused the company.
