Monsanto Appeals Damning Roundup Cancer Verdict

San Francisco, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Nov, 2018 ) :Monsanto on Tuesday said it is asking an appeals court to toss out a damning verdict in a landmark Roundup weed-killer cancer trial and grant it another try.

"By its appeal from the judgment and amended judgment, Monsanto also seeks appellate review of the trial court's order denying Monsanto's motion for new trial," an attorney for the agrochemical colossus said in a filed notice-of-appeal.

The notice is the first step of the appeal process.

A cancer-stricken groundskeeper last month accepted a slashed award in the trial, which focused on weed-killer Roundup and a professional version of the herbicide called Ranger Pro.

Judge Suzanne Bolanos, who presided over the case in California state court, denied a Monsanto's request for a new trial but cut the $289 million damages award to $78 million to comply with the law regarding how punitive damages awards must be calculated.

Bolanos denied a request by Monsanto to toss out the jury's overall verdict against the company.

Jurors in August unanimously found that Monsanto acted with "malice" and that its weed killers Roundup and Ranger Pro contributed "substantially" to Dewayne "Lee" Johnson's terminal illness.

The jury ordered Monsanto to pay $250 million in punitive damages along with compensatory damages and other costs, bringing the total figure to nearly $290 million.