NHL Cases: The First Legal Action
Lee Johnson
The first lawsuit against Monsanto ended in August 2018, with the jury awarding Lee Johnson $289 million. The judge reduced the amount to $78 million. Johnson developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after chronic exposure to Roundup. The jury found that Monsanto had failed to warn users about the potential carcinogenicity of the herbicide.
Edwin Hardeman
A second lawsuit, launched by Edwin Hardeman, began in February 2019. Hardeman had routinely used Roundup to treat his 56-acre property since the 1980s. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015. In this case, the attorneys for the defendant had obtained internal documents from Monsanto. They argued that the company had systematically influenced regulatory agencies and had deliberately acted to mislead the public about its herbicides. They also alleged that Monsanto had influenced and manipulated the findings of scientific studies about the safety of Roundup.
During this trial, it became clear that Monsanto had never even attempted to conduct a long-term toxicity study of Roundup. They had also “ghostwritten” several biased articles that claimed Roundup was safe.
The judge, during his instructions to the jury, said:
“there is strong evidence from which a jury could conclude that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concerns about the issue.”
The jury unanimously agreed Roundup had caused Hardeman’s cancer and awarded him $80 million in damages and compensation. The judge later reduced the award to $20 million.
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The Pilliods
The third lawsuit, launched by the Pilliods, began in March 2018. Both Pilliods, who are in their 70s, have been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Both had routinely used Roundup since the 1970s and had never used protective equipment while applying it. The instructions on the product don’t mention any risks associated with its use.
The jury awarded the Pilliods $2 billion in damages and compensation. A judge later reduced it to $86 million.
New Evidence of a Link Between Roundup and NHL
A study published in March 2019 provided additional evidence that Roundup is indeed linked to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The study, a multi-national collaboration, examined the medical records and Roundup exposure history of more than 300,000 agricultural workers. The authors of the study concluded that regular exposure to Roundup substantially increased the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, particularly the diffuse B-cell type.
How Do Class Action Lawsuits Work?
Other Roundup and NHL Cases
April 12, 2019
