St. Louis 21st Judicial Court Judge Brian May granted defendant’s motion for a directed verdict at the close of plaintiff’s evidence in Barbara Allegrezza et al. v. Monsanto Company, in which Mark McCostlin is a plaintiff.
“The judge’s ruling in favor of the company’s motion for a directed verdict brings this trial to a successful conclusion,” a spokesperson for Bayer said. “The company has now won nine consecutive trials including the Clark, Stephens, Shelton, Johnson, Alesi, Ferro, Gordon, Evard, and McCostlin cases.”
McCostlin sued Monsanto alleging that work-related exposure to the herbicide is responsible for his cancer diagnosis.
Produced by Monsanto, Roundup is an herbicide used to kill weeds that have sprouted among crops. Its active ingredient is glyphosate which plaintiffs nationwide allege causes cancer. Monsanto, the defendant at trial, was acquired by the Germany-based company Bayer in 2018 in a deal worth $63 billion at which time Bayer inherited the Roundup litigation.
As a result of the directed verdict, the jury was dismissed.
