A California court of appeal has upheld the conviction handed down to Monsanto, ordering it to pay compensation for the damages suffered by gardener Dewayne Johnson, 48, who is ill with cancer. Johnson had taken the company — now owned by German firm Bayer — to court, attributing his illness to exposure to glyphosate, the active ingredient in the pesticide Roundup.

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A #California appeals court has reduced the damages #Bayer must pay to Plaintiff Dewayne Johnson. After buying out #Monsanto in 2018, the company expects to pay $10B settling outstanding litigation, including Johnson's case.

Story by Cassandra Maas here: buff.ly/39m8Z7P

♥ 1 22 lug 2020 · Apri su X →

The compensation sought from Monsanto has been reduced further still

At first instance, the multinational was ordered to pay Johnson 289 million dollars in damages and interest. The penalty was then significantly reduced, while at the same time Bayer had asked for a new trial to be opened. To avoid the burden of fresh proceedings, the gardener — who is terminally ill — had accepted the revised award, set at 78.5 million dollars.

Now, with the latest ruling on Monday 20 July, the compensation has been reduced further to 20.4 million. A decision welcomed as "yet another victory" by Johnson's lawyers, but also as "a step in the right direction" by Bayer's lawyers. The latter are now reserving the right to lodge a final appeal, this time to the Supreme Court: "We believe," they explained, "that the judges' decision and the payment of compensation are not compatible with the evidence presented and with the laws in force."