A US appeals court has once again ruled against Bayer and its infamous weedkiller Roundup in the latest litigations aimed at the German company over concerns its herbicide has been linked with cancer.
Bayer Roundup. Credit: Pixavril / Shutterstock
Bayer is currently involved in thousands of lawsuits owing to its weedkiller Roundup being linked with cancer. Credit: Pixavril / Shutterstock
This time, the court chose to uphold a 2019 ruling which ruled in favour of a couple who faced health issues after long-term exposure to the glyphosate-based product.
Read more: Bayer seeks approval for $2bn Roundup settlement
This marks the company's third consecutive appeals loss of cases that have gone to trial.
A California judge refused to overturn the ruling against Bayer on behalf of the husband and wife plaintiffs Alva and Alberta Pilliod, who fell ill after using Roundup for more than three decades, which initially awarded the pair $2 billion (€1.7 billion) in damages. The court also chose to uphold the decision to reduce the payment to $86.7 million (€73.9 million) after the judge suggested the awarded damages were too high.
The court found that "Monsanto’s conduct evidenced reckless disregard of the health and safety of the multitude of unsuspecting consumers it kept in the dark".
"This was not an isolated incident; Monsanto’s conduct involved repeated actions over a period of many years motivated by the desire for sales and profit," it added.
It also claims Bayer attempted to hide the dangers of glyphosate.
Bayer is still currently embroiled in thousands of lawsuits, which it inherited after its purchase of Monsanto in 2018, over claims the weedkiller has been linked with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. Only a few have actually gone to court.
The 2019 settlement originally awarded the couple the settlement after their cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were linked with the weedkiller.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated in 2020 that glyphosate should be safe for human use, provided the proper precautions and safety measures are taken.
However, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic" to humans.
US judges have already suggested Bayer place warning labels on Roundup to instruct proper use and prevent any health effects from using the product. Bayer, however, continued to maintain glyphosate is safe for human use.
Read more: Bayer fails to settle US lawsuits over Roundup health concerns
A fourth trial against Bayer commenced last week in San Bernardino, California.
The chemical giant said it plans to ask the US Supreme Court to take up another case it lost in 2019, with the company denying culpability after a federal watchdog found glyphosate was not carcinogenic.
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