Bayer shares rose by more than 6 percent [January 4], a day after a key court ruling in the upcoming trials over whether its Monsanto weedkillers can cause cancer. A federal judge overseeing the lawsuits late [January 3] issued the order, which could severely restrict evidence that the plaintiffs consider crucial to their cases.
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The order issued by US District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco …. initially bars lawyers for plaintiff Edwin Hardeman from introducing evidence that the company allegedly attempted to influence regulators and manipulate public opinion.
[The] ruling applies to Hardeman’s case, which is scheduled to go to trial on Feb. 25, and two other so-called bellwether trials that will help determine the range of damages and define settlement options for the rest of the 620 Roundup cases before Chhabria.…
Under Chhabria’s order, evidence of Monsanto’s alleged misconduct would be allowed only if glyphosate was found to have caused Hardeman’s cancer and the trial proceeded to a second phase to determine Bayer’s liability.
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Bayer has also asked that some of the plaintiffs’ evidence on causation, specifically a finding by the World Health Organization’s cancer unit that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic,” be excluded in the first phase because it has no basis in science.
Chhabria, who has previously expressed skepticism of that finding …. said he would soon decide to which degree he would allow it to be introduced at trial.
Read full, original article: Bayer shares jump after judge’s ruling on Roundup cancer claims
