October 27, 2023

Contact: Robin McCall, Media Relations

Wisner Baum LLP

Main Office – Los Angeles

11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 1750

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Phone: (310) 207-3233

Email: rmccall@wisnerbaum.com

Website: https://www.wisnerbaum.com

R. Brent Wisner bio: https://www.wisnerbaum.com/attorneys/r-brent-wisner/

On Friday, October 27, 2023, a Philadelphia jury handed down a $175 million judgment against Monsanto in a case brought by a cancer patient who alleged that the company failed to sufficiently caution consumers about the presence of carcinogens in their weed killer product, Roundup. This verdict marked the conclusion of the first tort claims trial in the city related to Bayer’s flagship product.

The 12-member jury arrived at their decision after approximately five hours of deliberation, delivering a verdict in favor of Ernest Caranci. The trial, which commenced on October 10 and was presided over by Judge James C. Crumlish III in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, awarded Caranci $25 million in compensatory damages and an additional $150 million in punitive damages.

The jury determined that Monsanto exhibited negligence in both the design of the weed killer and its warning labels, and that this negligence was a substantial contributing factor to Caranci’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Furthermore, they concluded that Roundup was inherently flawed because it did not adequately inform consumers, and that this deficiency was a direct causal factor in Caranci’s cancer.

The plaintiff is represented by Thomas R. Kline and Tobi L. Millrood of Kline & Specter PC, and by Jason Itkin of Arnold & Itkin.

R. Brent Wisner helped win jury verdicts of $2.427 billion against Monsanto
in the first three successful trials against the company for its Roundup weedkiller
causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Brent was co-lead trial counsel in the first Roundup trial for Dewayne “Lee” Johnson and for Alva and Alberta Pilliod. Reacting to today’s verdict he stated, “It’s a tremendous result.  This case has always been about the science and this new verdict puts a huge exclamation point on that fact.  It’s about time for Monsanto to finally, once and for all, pull this product off the market and negotiate a global settlement. It’s time to bring an end to the glyphosate chapter in our country.”

reprinted with permission