A California appeals court on [June 2] will hear oral arguments in agrochemical giant Monsanto’s bid to toss a $78.5 million award stemming from the first trial over the company’s popular “Roundup” weed killer ….
Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer in 2018, will ask a three-judge panel to enter judgment in their favor or to order a new trial. The court’s decision will have a major impact on ongoing settlement discussions involving over 50,000 plaintiffs who claim they developed cancer from exposure to the chemical glyphosate in herbicides like Roundup.
The $289 million verdict in that trial (subsequently reduced to $78.5 million) and other verdicts that followed battered Bayer’s stock price, and whether or not the verdict survives the appeal will give significant leverage to plaintiffs or Bayer depending on the outcome.
