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Pesticide Action Network

Pesticide Action Network

Historic victory in Roundup cancer case

Monsanto ordered to pay nearly $300 million for health damages

For Immediate Release: August 10, 2018

San Francisco, CA – In an historic ruling in the San Francisco Superior Court, a jury found Monsanto corporation fully liable for health damages caused by its herbicide, Roundup. The plaintiff, DeWayne Johnson, was awarded $289 million in damages.

In light of the World Health Organization’s determination in 2015 that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is a ‘probable human carcinogen,’ several thousand individuals who have been exposed to the herbicide and suffered from cancer are in the process of suing Monsanto. Johnson was the first of those plaintiffs to move forward to trial. His case was expedited because he is suffering from lymphoma and currently has only a few months to live. The outcome of Johnson’s case will likely impact many other cases slated for a later date.

Linda Wells, Midwest Organizing Director for Pesticide Action Network, issued the following statement:

“Monsanto has deliberately deceived the public about the safety of its flagship herbicide Roundup for decades. Monsanto’s business model assumes that any cancer caused by pesticides will be someone else’s problem. Changing that equation is crucial to moving toward a healthy, just food system.

“DeWayne Johnson’s victory today is a landmark moment — it signals a turning tide. For too long, we’ve let mega-corporations profit from toxic pesticides without paying for the damage. For decades Monsanto assured farmers, farmworkers, pesticide applicators and home owners that glyphosate was completely harmless. As Monsanto (now merged with Bayer) is finally forced to pay for its shameful behavior, we must also hold our public agencies to account. EPA is not blameless in the story of glyphosate. It’s time to get carcinogenic pesticides off the market, and fight for the protective regulations we all deserve.”

Press contacts:

Linda Wells, (563) 940-1242, linda@panna.org

Paul Towers, (916) 216-1082, ptowers@panna.org

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Pesticide Action Network

Pesticide Action Network

Pesticide Action Network is dedicated to advancing alternatives to pesticides worldwide. Follow @pesticideaction

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