Couple awarded more than $2 billion in 3rd Roundup cancer trial
Posted in Accident & Injury, Product Liability on May 14, 2019
On May 13, a California jury awarded a massive $2.055 billion verdict in the latest lawsuit claiming popular weed killer Roundup causes cancer.
The damages were awarded to plaintiffs Alva and Alberta Pilliod, who have been fighting cancer for nearly a decade. Alva Pilliod was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in 2011. Alberta was diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma, a type of DLBCL, in 2015.
Exposure to glyphosate, a chemical in Roundup, has been linked to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For over 30 years, the couple sprayed large amounts of the weed killer on their four residential properties. They continued to use the product after they were diagnosed with cancer because they weren’t aware of the risks.
$2 billion Roundup cancer trial verdict
The jury agreed Roundup was likely a significant contributing factor in the couple’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma, finding Monsanto – the maker of the weed killer – liable for negligence, design defect, failure to warn, and negligent failure to warn. They unanimously decided Monsanto’s harmful, oppressive, or fraudulent conduct also warranted punitive damages.
At the end of the five-week trial, Alberta Pilliod was awarded:
- $1 billion in punitive damages against Monsanto
- $201,166.76 past economic loss
- $2,957,710 future economic loss
- $8 million past noneconomic loss
- $26 million future noneconomic loss
Alva Pilliod was awarded:
- $1 billion in punitive damages against Monsanto
- $47,296.01 past economic loss
- $8 million past noneconomic loss
- $10 million future noneconomic loss
The $2.055 billion verdict was the third loss in a row for Monsanto and one of the largest product defect jury awards in U.S. history. The trend of these early verdicts could be a sign of how things might play out in thousands of similar pending cases.
If you or a loved one were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma – including subtypes such as B-cell and T-cell lymphomas – after using Roundup weed killer, you may be entitled to compensation.