OAKLAND, Calif. (ABC 13) — An Alameda County Superior Court jury ruled against Monsanto in another lawsuit claiming that its popular herbicide, Roundup, causes cancer.
Alva and Alberta Pilliod of Livermore claim that exposure to Roundup caused both of them to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. They said exposure from more than three decades of spraying Roundup on weeds in several properties was a substantial factor in causing their illness.
The jury agreed, awarding the couple $1 billion each in punitive damages for a total of $2 billion. They were also awarded $55 million in compensatory damages.
This follows nearly six weeks of testimony followed by closing arguments last Wednesday.
Bayer, which now owns Monsanto, released a statement saying:
"We are disappointed with the jury's decision and will appeal the verdict in this case, which conflicts directly with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) interim registration review decision released just last month, the consensus among leading health regulators worldwide that glyphosate-based products can be used safely and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic, and the 40 years of extensive scientific research on which their favorable conclusions are based."
This story was originally published by an ABC affiliate.
