Oakland, CA – In a landmark verdict, Bayer AG was ordered to pay over $2 billion in damages to a couple from Livermore, California, who claimed they developed cancer from using the company’s Roundup weedkiller. This recent legal blow marks the third consecutive trial loss for Bayer related to its Roundup product.
The jury in Oakland delivered this staggering verdict after reviewing the case of Alva and Alberta Pilliod. The couple, having used Roundup for residential landscaping for roughly 30 years, developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which they attribute to their prolonged exposure to the herbicide. The trial concluded with the jury awarding the Pilliods approximately $55 million for medical expenses and pain and suffering, alongside $1 billion in punitive damages to set an example out of the company.
Monsanto Co., acquired by Bayer in June of the previous year, is the primary manufacturer of Roundup and faces similar allegations with more than 13,400 lawsuits filed across the United States. Bayer is currently appealing the prior verdicts.
The pursuit of more than $1 billion in punitive damages was perceived as a bold move by the plaintiffs’ legal team. However, according to Anna Pavlik, senior counsel for special situations at United First Partners LLC, the trio of verdicts reflects the jurors’ reliance on substantial evidence presented against the company. Pavlik added that enhanced detail in the evidence presented may fortify forthcoming cases against Monsanto.
During the trial, Monsanto’s defense highlighted other potential cancer risk factors pertaining to the couple, such as previous cancer diagnoses and family health history. Additionally, both had conditions that compromised their immune systems, which could have increased their cancer risk independent of Roundup exposure.
The health battles against cancer for the Pilliods have been arduous. Alva Pilliod received a diagnosis in 2011 and, after chemotherapy, entered remission later the same year. Alberta Pilliod faced a graver challenge after being diagnosed with a brain tumor due to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015 and also reached remission by 2017.
The $2 billion award faces potential challenges, as historically, courts have maintained that punitive damages should not exceed ten times the compensatory damages.
In more related cases, recent judgments in California have seen significant awards to plaintiffs claiming injuries from Roundup. Just this March, a federal jury in San Francisco awarded $80 million to a Sonoma County man who argued that Roundup caused his cancer. Back in August, a school groundskeeper from Benicia was initially granted $289 million, though this was later reduced to $78 million on the judge’s orders.
These cases highlight growing challenges for Bayer as it integrates Monsanto while grappling with increasing legal reckonings related to its products.
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