Georgia Jury Delivers $2.1 Billion Verdict In Controversial Case

gallon containers with the words Round Up on a metal shelving unit

Georgia jury orders Bayer to pay a staggering $2.1 billion in damages after finding that its popular weedkiller Roundup caused a man’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, delivering another devastating blow to the company’s legal defense of the controversial herbicide.

Key Takeaways

A Georgia jury awarded John Barnes $2.1 billion, including $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages in a Roundup cancer case.
Bayer plans to appeal the verdict, arguing it contradicts scientific evidence and regulatory consensus on Roundup’s safety.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate (Roundup’s active ingredient) as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015.
The EPA maintains that glyphosate is unlikely to be carcinogenic when used according to label directions.
This verdict adds to Bayer’s mounting legal woes, with over 54,000 Roundup lawsuits still pending after the company has already paid approximately $10 billion in settlements.

Landmark Verdict Adds to Bayer’s Legal Troubles

A jury in Georgia has delivered one of the largest verdicts yet in the ongoing litigation over Bayer’s Roundup weedkiller, ordering the company to pay approximately $2.1 billion to John Barnes, who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after using the product. The award consists of $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages, reflecting the jury’s determination that Bayer failed to warn consumers about cancer risks associated with Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate. Barnes’ attorney, Kyle Findley, described the ruling as an “important milestone” in the legal battle that began in 2021.

This verdict represents another significant setback for Bayer, which acquired Roundup through its $63 billion takeover of Monsanto in 2018. Since the acquisition, Bayer has been plagued by litigation over Roundup’s safety. The company has already paid approximately $10 billion to settle similar claims and has set aside an additional $5.9 billion for over 60,000 pending cases. Despite these settlements, more than 54,000 lawsuits remain unresolved, with new cases continuing to be filed.

Scientific Dispute at the Heart of Litigation

The central issue in these lawsuits involves conflicting scientific assessments of glyphosate’s carcinogenicity. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a research arm of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This classification has been frequently cited by plaintiffs in Roundup litigation, including in the Georgia case where Barnes accused Bayer of ignoring scientific studies on the product’s toxicity.

However, regulatory agencies have reached different conclusions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains that glyphosate is unlikely to be a human carcinogen when used according to label directions. This regulatory assessment forms the foundation of Bayer’s defense in these cases, with the company consistently arguing that Roundup has been deemed safe by most global health regulatory agencies. This stark division in scientific evaluation has contributed to the complex and contentious nature of Roundup litigation.

Bayer’s Response and Appeal Strategy

Following the Georgia verdict, Bayer immediately announced plans to appeal, expressing strong disagreement with the jury’s decision. The company maintains that the verdict conflicts with scientific evidence and regulatory consensus regarding Roundup’s safety. Bayer has previously successfully reduced damages in Roundup cases through the appeals process, claiming that damages in cases with final judgments have typically been reduced by 90% compared to original jury awards.

“We believe that we have strong arguments on appeal to get this verdict overturned and the excessive and unconstitutional damage awards eliminated or reduced,” said lawyers for Bayer.

This pattern of appealing large verdicts has been consistent throughout Bayer’s legal battle over Roundup. Previous major verdicts include $2.055 billion in Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto and $289.2 million in Johnson v. Monsanto, though many of these awards were later reduced on appeal. The company is also exploring legislative protection against future Roundup lawsuits, reflecting a multi-faceted approach to managing its substantial legal liabilities while continuing to defend the safety of its product.