Roundup (Glyphosate) Cancer Cases: Key Documents & Analysis

More than 18,400 people have filed suit against Monsanto Company alleging that exposure to Roundup herbicide caused them or their loved ones to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and that Monsanto covered up the risks. As part of the discovery process, Monsanto has had to turn over millions of pages of its internal records. We are posting these Monsanto Papers and other court records here. (Monsanto was purchased by Bayer AG in 2018.)

FEDERAL COURT –  On April 4, 2019 Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Bayer/Monsanto to enter into mediation with plaintiffs’ attorneys.

More than 1290 lawsuits are pending in U.S. District Court in San Francisco and have been combined for handling as multidistrict litigation (MDL) under Chhabria. The first federal trial, the case of Edwin Hardeman V. Monsanto, was bifurcated at the request of Monsanto, limiting evidence jurors  heard during a first phase to causation only. On March 19 a unanimous jury decision handed a first-round victory to Hardeman, as the six jury members found that Hardeman’s exposure to Roundup was a “substantial factor” in causing his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. On March 27, the jury returned a verdict of approximately $80 million, including punitive damages of $75 million. Court / discovery documents are posted here for Edwin Hardeman V. Monsanto. Judge Chhabria reduced the punitive damages awarded Hardeman to $20 million from $75 million, putting the total award at  $25,313,383.02.

The next federal trial is set for February 24, 2020 Stevick v. Monsanto Co. 16-cv-2341-VC

Read internal Monsanto documents regarding the company’s ghostwriting of an important paper published in the year 2000, and how the company used that “independent” scientific literature to promote and defend its herbicides. 

Follow trial updates in our Roundup Trial Tracker.

Click here for additional documents pertaining to combined MDL cases

STATE COURT – Thousands of plaintiffs have made similar claims against Monsanto in state courts. The first trial in the Roundup litigation concluded on Aug. 10, 2018 with the jury ruling that Monsanto’s weedkiller was a substantial contributing factor in causing DeWayne “Lee” Johnson’s cancer, and ordering Monsanto to pay $289.25 million in damages, including $250 million in punitive damages. The judge reduced the punitive damages to $39 million in an order dated Oct. 22, 2018 which put the total verdict at approximately $78 million. Monsanto has appealed, seeking to throw out the judgment, while Johnson has cross appealed, seeking to reinstate the jury award. The appeal is filed in the California State Court of Appeals, case number A155940. 

The most recent trial was Pilliod V. Monsanto. On May 13, 2019, jurors returned a verdict awarding Alva and Alberta Pilliod $2 billion in punitive damages and $55 million in compensatory damages. The judge in the case then cut the total verdict to $87 million. Pilliod v. Monsanto is the first case in the California Roundup Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP) and the third Roundup cancer case to proceed to trial.  See details at this link. 

A state court trial for plaintiff Sharlean Gordon that had been set for Aug. 19, 2019 in St. Louis was continued until January 27, 2020. 

 CANCELLED – A state court trial that had been set for Oct. 15 in the city of St. Louis.  A status hearing is now set for Feb 10, 2020. The case is Winston v. Monsanto Case No. 1822-CC00515. 

Thirteen of the 14 plaintiffs in the Winston case were transferred to St. Louis County as Kyle Chaplick v. Monsanto  Case No. 19SL-CC04115 A hearing in that case regarding plaintiffs’ motion for multiple plaintiff trial setting is set for Nov. 8. 

See details for other cases:

• DeWayne Johnson v. Monsanto: San Francisco County Superior Court /California State Court of Appeals
• Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding (JCCP): Alameda County Superior Court – California