The Supreme Court of the United States refused on Tuesday to hear an appeal by the German group Bayer
Bayer AG is a German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
On Tuesday, Bayer said it was “fully prepared to defend cases in court where plaintiffs’ expectations are unreasonable.”
The German company emphasizes that several judgments related to the herbicide have recently been issued in its favor and recalls that the Supreme Court must rule on another case that has appealed: a judgment that grants 87 million dollars (82 million euros) to Alva and Alberta Pilliod, both with lymphoma after using Roundup for years.
The Supreme Court of the United States refused on Tuesday to hear an appeal by the German group Bayer, owner of Monsanto, with which it sought to challenge thousands of complaints that claim that its herbicide Roundup causes cancer; opening the door to millionaire compensation.
By deciding not to intervene, the high court upholds an earlier court ruling that condemns the group to pay 25 million dollars (23 million euros) to a retiree, Edwin Hardeman, who attributes the cancer he suffers to this glyphosate-based herbicide.
In accordance with standard practice, the Supreme Court did not justify its decision, which may have serious consequences for Bayer, which is the subject of more than 31,000 similar complaints, in addition to those for which it reached an agreement. And the number could rise.
The German company has already allocated 6.5 billion dollars (6.1 billion euros) to deal with new procedures (2 billion initially and then an additional 4.5 billion after the rejection of a deal).
Bayer’s stock fell 2.26% to 61.93 euros ($65.38) on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at the end of the session.
“Bayer respectfully disagrees with the Supreme Court’s decision,” but “is fully prepared to face the legal risk associated with possible future U.S. lawsuits,” the group reacted in a statement.
The company says it “admits no fault or liability” and “continues to support its Roundup products, a valuable tool for effective agricultural production in the world.”
- Millionaire compensation –
Edwin Hardeman, diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2015, was one of the first to sue Monsanto, claiming his illness was due to the herbicide he used on his property for 25 years.
