Marietta, GA — In a landmark jury decision, John Barnes was awarded over $2.1 billion in damages after claiming that Monsanto’s popular weed killer, Roundup, contributed to his cancer diagnosis. The Cobb County jury assigned $65 million in compensatory damages and a substantial $2 billion in punitive damages against Bayer, Monsanto’s parent company, following a three-week trial.
Bayer, a German conglomerate that acquired Monsanto in 2018 for $63 billion, disagreed with the jury’s findings, citing widespread regulatory assessments and scientific studies supporting the safety of glyphosate, the herbicide’s active ingredient. The company announced intentions to appeal, aiming to overturn the verdict and address what it describes as excessive and unconstitutional damage awards.
Barnes, a resident of the Atlanta suburbs, claimed he used Roundup in his yard for several years before being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020. His legal team argued that Monsanto failed to warn consumers about the potential hazards associated with glyphosate. The case in Georgia is one of many similar lawsuits filed against Monsanto, totaling about 170,000 claims related to Roundup.
Legal representation for Barnes was provided by Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC. Notably, these firms secured a previous Monsanto-related award of $2.25 billion in Philadelphia, although a judge later reduced that amount to $400 million.
Across the United States, courts have held 23 Roundup-related trials, resulting in over $6 billion awarded to plaintiffs. Bayer has reportedly settled approximately 100,000 claims for about $11 billion.
Following these lawsuits, Bayer announced that it had replaced its glyphosate-based products in the U.S. residential market with alternatives and contemplated adjustments to Roundup’s labeling to enhance consumer safety. Despite the controversies, Bayer maintains that Roundup is a vital agricultural tool essential for producing affordable food worldwide.
As Bayer prepares for the appeal process, it highlights its favorable outcomes in 17 of the past 25 glyphosate trials, hinting at potential inconsistencies in jury verdicts across different cases. The company is strategizing its approach to secure a review by the Supreme Court in the 2025-2026 session.
This litigation unfolds against a backdrop of increased scrutiny over Monsanto’s corporate practices. Disclosures from a 2017 federal court case in San Francisco revealed internal discussions about ghostwriting scientific papers to defend Roundup’s safety, raising questions about the integrity of some supportive research.
Furthermore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been evaluating glyphosate since 2009, stating in 2020 that the evidence was insufficient to link glyphosate with human diseases. These ongoing investigations and legal battles continue to shape the narrative around one of the world’s most widely used herbicides.
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