SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
"Today's verdict reinforces what another jury found last year, and what scientists with the state of California and the World Health Organization have concluded: Glyphosate causes cancer in people," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a statement. (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
Another Guilty Verdict for Monsanto as Jury Finds Roundup Was 'Substantial Factor' in Causing Man's Cancer
"As similar lawsuits mount, the evidence will grow that Roundup is not safe, and that the company has tried to cover it up."
Mar 20, 2019
In a landmark verdict against Monsanto that could have far-reaching implications, a federal jury on Tuesday found that the weed-killer Roundup was "a substantial factor" in causing a 70-year-old plaintiff's cancer.
"The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
--Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group
"Today's verdict reinforces what another jury found last year, and what scientists with the state of California and the World Health Organization have concluded: Glyphosate causes cancer in people," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a statement, referring to the active ingredient in Roundup. "As similar lawsuits mount, the evidence will grow that Roundup is not safe, and that the company has tried to cover it up."
Edwin Hardeman, the plaintiff in the case, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in 2015 after using Roundup to kill poison oak and weeds on his property for over 20 years. In 2016, Hardeman sued Monsanto, which was acquired by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer last year.
"The decision by Bayer to purchase Monsanto, a company with a long history of environmental malfeasance, could go down as one of the worst business decisions ever made," said Cook. "The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
The jury's verdict comes just months after Monsanto was ordered to pay over $200 million in damages to a former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, who said Roundup caused his cancer.
Michael Baum, an attorney who represented Johnson, told Buzzfeed that the jury's verdict in the Hardeman case is "a huge win for all Roundup-induced NHL claimants and a devastating loss for Bayer/Monsanto."
Beginning on Wednesday, the jury will consider whether Monsanto should be held liable for its product's role in the development of Hardeman's cancer.
"Mr. Hardeman is pleased that the jury unanimously held that Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Now we can focus on the evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of Roundup," Aimee Wagstaff and Jennifer Moore, Hardeman's attorneys, said in a joint statement.
"Instead, it is clear from Monsanto's actions that it 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," they continued. "We look forward to presenting this evidence to the jury and holding Monsanto accountable for its bad conduct."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
In a landmark verdict against Monsanto that could have far-reaching implications, a federal jury on Tuesday found that the weed-killer Roundup was "a substantial factor" in causing a 70-year-old plaintiff's cancer.
"The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
--Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group
"Today's verdict reinforces what another jury found last year, and what scientists with the state of California and the World Health Organization have concluded: Glyphosate causes cancer in people," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a statement, referring to the active ingredient in Roundup. "As similar lawsuits mount, the evidence will grow that Roundup is not safe, and that the company has tried to cover it up."
Edwin Hardeman, the plaintiff in the case, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in 2015 after using Roundup to kill poison oak and weeds on his property for over 20 years. In 2016, Hardeman sued Monsanto, which was acquired by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer last year.
"The decision by Bayer to purchase Monsanto, a company with a long history of environmental malfeasance, could go down as one of the worst business decisions ever made," said Cook. "The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
The jury's verdict comes just months after Monsanto was ordered to pay over $200 million in damages to a former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, who said Roundup caused his cancer.
Michael Baum, an attorney who represented Johnson, told Buzzfeed that the jury's verdict in the Hardeman case is "a huge win for all Roundup-induced NHL claimants and a devastating loss for Bayer/Monsanto."
Beginning on Wednesday, the jury will consider whether Monsanto should be held liable for its product's role in the development of Hardeman's cancer.
"Mr. Hardeman is pleased that the jury unanimously held that Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Now we can focus on the evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of Roundup," Aimee Wagstaff and Jennifer Moore, Hardeman's attorneys, said in a joint statement.
"Instead, it is clear from Monsanto's actions that it 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," they continued. "We look forward to presenting this evidence to the jury and holding Monsanto accountable for its bad conduct."
In a landmark verdict against Monsanto that could have far-reaching implications, a federal jury on Tuesday found that the weed-killer Roundup was "a substantial factor" in causing a 70-year-old plaintiff's cancer.
"The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
--Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group
"Today's verdict reinforces what another jury found last year, and what scientists with the state of California and the World Health Organization have concluded: Glyphosate causes cancer in people," Environmental Working Group president Ken Cook said in a statement, referring to the active ingredient in Roundup. "As similar lawsuits mount, the evidence will grow that Roundup is not safe, and that the company has tried to cover it up."
Edwin Hardeman, the plaintiff in the case, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in 2015 after using Roundup to kill poison oak and weeds on his property for over 20 years. In 2016, Hardeman sued Monsanto, which was acquired by the German pharmaceutical giant Bayer last year.
"The decision by Bayer to purchase Monsanto, a company with a long history of environmental malfeasance, could go down as one of the worst business decisions ever made," said Cook. "The day of reckoning for Bayer and its cancer-causing weedkiller is getting closer."
The jury's verdict comes just months after Monsanto was ordered to pay over $200 million in damages to a former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, who said Roundup caused his cancer.
Michael Baum, an attorney who represented Johnson, told Buzzfeed that the jury's verdict in the Hardeman case is "a huge win for all Roundup-induced NHL claimants and a devastating loss for Bayer/Monsanto."
Beginning on Wednesday, the jury will consider whether Monsanto should be held liable for its product's role in the development of Hardeman's cancer.
"Mr. Hardeman is pleased that the jury unanimously held that Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Now we can focus on the evidence that Monsanto has not taken a responsible, objective approach to the safety of Roundup," Aimee Wagstaff and Jennifer Moore, Hardeman's attorneys, said in a joint statement.
"Instead, it is clear from Monsanto's actions that it 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," they continued. "We look forward to presenting this evidence to the jury and holding Monsanto accountable for its bad conduct."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.