Trial News

In a major verdict against Monsanto, a Philadelphia jury has awarded $78 million to plaintiff William Melissen in the sixth trial in the city’s Roundup weedkiller mass tort litigation. The jury found that the company’s herbicide Roundup was defective and caused Melissen’s cancer. The case represents the latest blow to Monsanto, now a subsidiary of Bayer AG, in ongoing litigation over glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. (Melissen v. Monsanto, No. 210602571 (Pa. Ct. Com. Pl. Phila. Cnty. Oct. 10, 2024).

Plaintiff William Melissen filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia’s mass tort docket against Monsanto, joining multiple plaintiffs alleging health issues from glyphosate exposure. Melissen claimed that his long-term exposure to Roundup—from 1992 until his diagnosis with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and hairy cell leukemia in 2020—directly caused his illness.

During the trial, Melissen’s attorneys presented evidence suggesting that Monsanto had knowledge of the carcinogenic risks associated with glyphosate yet continued to market the product without adequate warnings or safety instructions, such as advising users to wear protective gear when handling the product. Emphasizing Monsanto’s alleged disregard for public safety, Melissen’s attorneys called for punitive damages.

Monsanto countered that scientific studies and regulatory bodies worldwide, including the EPA, have found no definitive link between glyphosate and cancer, arguing that the plaintiff’s case relied on selective scientific evidence intended to sway the jury emotionally. Despite Monsanto urging the jurors to focus on “scientific consensus,” they ultimately found that Melissen’s cancer was directly caused by glyphosate, which is the key ingredient in Roundup. In condemnation of Monsanto’s conduct, the jury awarded Melissen $3 million in compensatory damages and $73 million in punitive damages. Monsanto has indicated it will likely appeal the verdict.

Philadelphia attorney Tom Kline, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiff, said, “This marks the third case that we have tried against Bayer/Monsanto in the last 12 months. Three separate juries have now separately found that Roundup caused our clients’ cancers and that Bayer/Monsanto acted with reckless indifference to people’s safety. Bayer/Monsanto still has not gotten the message that it needs to change its ways. We look forward to trying our next case in November.”