SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A Northern California judge has upheld a jury’s verdict finding Monsanto’s weed killer caused a groundskeeper’s cancer, but she slashed his $289 million award to $78 million.
FILE: by GRANT GERLOCK / courtesy HARVEST PUBLIC MEDIA
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Bolanos ruled Monday
A San Francisco jury’s August verdict included $250 million in punitive damages, which the judge said was too high. She reduced the punitive damages to $39 million, matching the jury’s underlying damage award.
Jurors found Monsanto purposely ignored warnings and evidence that its popular Roundup product caused DeWayne Johnson’s lymphoma.
In a tentative ruling on Oct. 11, Bolanos said she was considering wiping out the punitive damage award because there appeared to be no evidence presented at trial that Monsanto employees ignored evidence that the weed killer caused cancer.