Man awarded £80m over cancer-causing weed killer

A jury has awarded $80m (£60.7m) to a man who claimed his use of a weed killer caused his cancer.

Edwin Hardeman blamed Bayer AG's glyphosate-based weed killer Roundup for his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the first of thousands of similar lawsuits the company faces.

Mr Hardeman, 70, told the court he used Roundup for years to deal with weeds and overgrowth at his home in San Francisco.

The jury in San Francisco federal court awarded him $5m in compensatory damages and $75m in punitive damages.

They found that Monsanto, which made Roundup and was sold to Bayer last year for $63bn (£47bn), had been negligent and failed to warn users about the cancer risk.

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After the verdict, Mr Hardeman said he was "overwhelmed", adding: "It hasn't sunk in yet."

Bayer said it was disappointed with the verdict and would appeal.

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A spokesman said: "This verdict does not change the weight of over four decades of extensive science and the conclusions of regulators worldwide that support the safety of our glyphosate-based herbicides and that they are not carcinogenic."

On 19 March, after more than four days of deliberation, a jury of six people found Roundup was a "substantial factor" in causing Mr Hardeman's cancer, news that sent Bayer's share price down by more than 12%.

A second trial was held before the same jury to determine liability and damages.

During this phase, Mr Hardeman's lawyers presented internal documents they said showed the company's efforts to influence scientists and regulators on the subject of safety.

After the verdict, one of his lawyers Jennifer Moore said: "Today, the jury sent a message loud and clear that companies should no longer put products on the market for anyone to buy without being truthful, without testing their product and without warning if it causes cancer."